Black Star Waltz
by HexBunny
Summary: Almost two years after RFB, Spike returns home to find almost everything the way he left it. Except for one thing. Faye is gone. Now there's a new bounty that is bound to change his life, for good or bad. Spike has some choices to make, a future to grab, and a past to release. But will he do it in time? Spike/Faye/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Cowboy Bebop or any of it's characters**

**Ok so...before you start, know that this is a Spike/OC story for the most part but it does lead up to some Spike/Faye interaction toward the end. My other fic "Please Stop Dreaming" is JUST Spike/Faye so if that's more your speed, I'll be updating it along with this one. FOr those of you who don't mind an OC fic, then I hope you enjoy!**

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_**Black Star Waltz**_

**Chapter One**

**Part One**

Winter Winds

It seemed too cold. But then, it was November on earth. The slender man shrank from the wind, a thin line of smoke from a broken cigarette dispersed quickly like a ghost. His thick coat only helped so much. As his dual colored eyes gazed up to the stars through patches in the clouds. He thought about what he was about to do. Snow started to drift down from the heavens, looking eerily yellow in the faint street lights. Spike hated how the snow looked on earth at night. Hell, he hated snow all together. It was cold, wet, and quiet. Most people thought of it as a blanket: pure and white, purging the world of the evils that had built up all year. Not Spike. To him, snow was nature's way of taking everything from you. And with nothing else to look at you were forced to remember the past.

It had been almost two years since his supposed death, and now it was time to go home. Hopefully there was still a home to go home to. Sure, Jet would still be there. It was his ship after all and Spike knew the old cop wouldn't let go of one of the few things he truly owned in this world. Faye… Hmm, that was tricky. After what she said the day he left, he couldn't imagine she would stay. Then again… She really didn't have anywhere else to go. If she stayed, it would probably be just for the fact that she had been there for so long. Ed and Ein… Ed's father was good for nothing so she was probably home, too.

Thin fingers pulled the cigarette from his lips and he let out a long, low sigh as his snuffed the cig out, tossing it on the ground. Meteors blazed trails across the sky, one even daring to fall a couple miles from where he stood. Good ol' earth. Falling apart at the seams. Long legs carried him onward to the Swordfish II, and once inside the cockpit he smiled lazily to himself.

"I hope Jet's got some food. I'm starving."

The hatch closed and he was on his way. On his way to a home that most likely did not want him anymore.

**Part Two**

White Rose

Needless to say, Spike's homecoming wasn't all that he'd expected. Jet was happy to see him alive, and so was Ed. Ein just… Well, he was just Ein, and Faye was gone. As Spike lay stretched across his old bed, he stared at the ceiling. It had been a week since he had come home, and a lot of the time he had missed had been filled in for him. After he left, it took Edward and Ein a few months to come back. Turns out the poor kid's father forgot her again so she wandered back to the Bebop. Hell, Jet was more of a father to her than that useless egg sucking… Heh. Spike sighed, closing his eyes. He never liked that guy.

Second was Jet. Once he had Ed back on the ship he resumed bounty hunting on his own. Jet was getting old though, and his bounty hunting wasn't as successful as he would have hoped. He was pretty much living the same way he had been when Spike and Faye were still around.

Third was Faye. She had left less than a week after he had "died". Jet said she couldn't take it after he left and they got word that he hadn't survived. Hell, after her little display before he left he wasn't surprised. He let her down. Hard. And being gone so long hadn't helped.

Spike rolled over onto his side, losing interest in the slowly turning ceiling fan. His eyes narrowed in thought. He had gone to see her earlier that day. Watching from afar he thought of how to approach her. She was just getting off work. Some small time job he was sure she was hardly making it by with. A single white rose dangled from his thin fingers and a smug grin played on his lips. What a surprise this would be. Hopefully she wouldn't hit him since he bought her a present. His smile faded slightly as he watched her, standing there waiting, eyes looking forlorn… Sad. She pulled her jacket tightly around her and hung her head. Spike's head tilted to the side. What was wrong with her? Surely his death hadn't bothered her that bad.

He took a step out of the darkness of the alleyway, but stopped in his tracks as a tall blond man joined Faye, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. She looked up and smiled. The man seemed content but he didn't know Faye like Spike did. Even from across the street he could see her sadness had not faded from her eyes. Spike stepped back into the shadows, clenching the rose without thinking. Faye took the man's arm and disappeared down the street.

What did Spike expect? She was bound to move on. Maybe he shouldn't have waited so long to come back. Shit. Flinging himself over onto his other side, he groaned in irritation. Why wouldn't his brain just stop and let him sleep already!? He closed his eyes and focused only on his own breathing. Soon he was tossed into a deep, nightmare riddled sleep.

**Part Three**

Just Another Bounty Head

"Hey Spike! Get the hell up already! If you're gunna live here you need to start pulling your weight!" Jet's voice boomed through the door, making Spike groan and pull his pillow over his face. Well, some things never change. "Lazy ass." Jet mumbled to himself as he strode back toward the kitchen, his white apron billowing as he walked.

Spike sighed and sat up, dark circles under his eyes, and groaned again. Not much rest and now he had to work. Damn Jet. He scratched his head through his thick fluffy hair before standing and throwing a white t-shirt on, not bothering to cover his orange stripped boxers.

After a few minutes he made his way, groggily, to the living room with his toothbrush hanging from his mouth and a towel thrown across his shoulders. Jet was just setting out breakfast for himself, Spike, and Ed. Spike eyed the plate lazily. Eggs. He sighed. Hell, at least it was SOME kind of meat.

"Finally, Sleeping Beauty. Thought I was gunna have to send in Prince Charming to wake you." Jet hitched a thumb toward Ein. The data dog returned the gesture with a whine, then returned to his food. The dog didn't seem to like the idea any more than Spike did. The lanky man grimaced at the thought of dog slobber on his face.

Jet ignored the look and kept on talking. "Got a new bounty head for you. Two million woolongs."

Spike swallowed the toothpaste then wiped his mouth with the towel before answering, eyes glued to Ed's trusty "Tomato". The face of a girl, about twenty-two-years old, stared off screen. It wasn't a mug shot. That was weird. He eyes lit suspiciously as Ed sang out loud, wiggling her arms around like an overly excited squid.

"Girly girly bounty head, going to bring in lots of bread!"

"That's a small fry, Jet. Why not find me something bigger?" Spike ignored the crazy kid's ramblings, looking at the eyes of the girl in the photo. He wasn't sure but her eyes seemed to be different colors. One blue, one green. Hm.

"Figured I would ease you into it. Besides, it could be interesting." Spike raised an eyebrow as Jet spoke. Interesting, huh? His look faded to boredom. Not much interested him these days. Death kinda did that to you.

"Eh. Fine. Tell me more." Spike plopped down on the old yellow couch, looking at it for a moment and thinking of Faye. Funny how a color could make you think of someone. With a bemused look, he took up a plate and began scarfing the eggs down as Jet spoke.

"Astryd Jackle. Daughter of Kotori Jackle, leader of the Black Jackle Crime Syndicate." Jet ignored Spike as the younger man stopped eating, his mouth full of egg. Jet knew Spike didn't want to get tangled up in syndicate matters again, even if it wasn't Red Dragon, but this girl would be easy. She had no real record; she had simply escaped a few days ago and her father wanted her back. "Twenty-two-years old, five feet, three inches, and one-hundred-twenty pounds. Black hair, dual colored eyes, and has a jackal tattooed from her inner right thigh to her back. Should be easy. She's a little thing."

"Syndicate? I'm not getting back into syndicate issues, Jet. No." His voice was stern, eyes unwavering. The Red Dragons were bad enough but the Black Jackles had been around for a long time. A very long time. It wasn't like the other syndicates. They didn't just kill people, they tortured people. Mercilessly. The Black Jackles were a group you just didn't want to tangle with.

"Come on, Spike! She escaped and they want her back! She's not dangerous so quit being stubborn and go get her." Jet growled as Spike reluctantly put his plate down.

They had this conversation so many times in the past that Spike just got up to ready himself. No need to bring money matters into this. Spike owed Jet and this was an easy one. Hell, may as well get it done and over with.

"She may not be dangerous but the syndicate she belongs to is…" Spike murmured to himself, still unhappy that this was his new bounty head. "Where do I pick her up?" He questioned lazily, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Spike person is from Mars, bounty lady is on Venus." Edward grinned wide, happy to help.

Spike's eyes narrowed. He was not amused.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Part One**

Small Jackle

[A few days earlier]

Twenty two years. Twenty two longs, hard, strict years. Dual colored eyes, one blue and one green, lifted to the skies outside her window. Astryd gazed many a night out this very window, staring at Ganymede in the distance, wondering what freedom felt like. She had seen them before, free people that is. They walked the streets just outside her window and over the wall. The large mansion and it's grounds took up more than a block and Astryd was confined within the brick wall most of the time. She was only allowed outside of the walls if she was going to the Syndicate headquarters. She had never even been off of the star of Europa. That's how it had been her whole life. Now she stared at the stars and blinking lights of star ships and wondered about the people piloting them.

Astryd's head rested on her hand, a dark tanned maid woman stood behind her and brushed Astryd's long hair in silence. The woman's name was Marie, and Astryd had loved her since she was a child. Astryd's mother was dead, so Marie was the closest thing she had and though the hand servant rarely spoke, Astryd felt like she understood her more than anyone. Even better than her twin brother. Especially her twin brother. Orion was her opposite in every way. He was tall, with blond hair and dark black eyes. He rarely smiled and when he did it was never a good sign. Orion was cruel. Raised for the sole purpose of someday taking over the Black Jackle Syndicate. He was allowed in the real world like Astryd was not, and while he was out there he did cruel and unimaginable things. She chose not to think about it.

A sigh escaped her pale rose lips and a sadness played in her eyes as she hummed a tune to herself.

"You would make a great blues singer Astryd." Marie smiled gently, letting her own gaze drift listlessly out the window. She had never really wanted this job. It confined her to this miserable place, but she had stayed as a favor to Astryd's mother. Someone with compassion was needed to raise the free spirited child and Marie was up to the task. So many times she had wanted to scream at Astryd, 'Get out! Get out and leave this place for good!' but she had kept her mouth shut. Such talk could get her killed…or worse. Marie's eyes darkened with the memory of those before her who had either escaped, or talked of escape. Death would have been merciful for them. A release that Marie was sure many men had begged for after the cruel punishments the syndicate had for them.

"I wish I could Marie." The words fell as a whisper from Astryd's lips, her eyes not leaving the sky. "You can go now Marie. I want to be alone." Marie kissed Astryd's forehead and left the room.

Astryd opened her window, letting in the night air. Then it hit her. For as long as she could remember, she had lived here in fear of the syndicate. If one could call it living. Every day held the same routine. Early mornings full of lessons by the best tutors on the planet Every night staring at the same stars with a longing her heart couldn't handle anymore. She needed to get out. Even if it cost her life. For what kind of life could someone lead behind brick walls? How many more wasted years must pass? Do it now!

Before she had a change of mind she got dressed in some tight dark blue pants that looked like low rise hot pants with rings on the outside of her thigh, connected the bottom part of the pants to the shorts. She pulled on a skin tight black mid drift halter top and a blue jacket. She tied her long silky hair back into a pony tail and covered it with a red gypsy bandana before pulling on black boots and shoving more of her belongings into a small bag. The last thing she did before climbing out of the window, was put on her necklace. It was small enough to fit snugly in the palm of her hand. A trinket from Mars that her mother had brought for her before she died. Simple in design, it was a red heart shaped gem stone with bronze angel wings encasing the precious stone. It was her prized possession.

As she slipped silently over the wall and through the shadowy alley, a smile crossed her lips. Security was shit. It didn't really need to be that great. The syndicate relied on fear, and for the most part it worked. Those that had escaped were always noticed in the morning, and usually had a hefty bounty on their heads by noon. Bounty hunters helped the syndicate without even knowing it. Punishment was the last thing on Astryd's mind.

Freedom was the first.

**Part Two**

Gotta Knock A Little Harder

[Day after escape til present]

First thing in the morning, before anyone would notice that she was gone, Astryd used her money card to withdraw all of the money from her account. Three million woolongs was a lot of cash to run around with, but she had no choice. She cut up the card and threw it in the trash. Then she went shopping. By nine am she had a few new outfits, some food, and a brand new starship, bought under an alias. Corra Robinson. She smiled smugly to herself. So far so good. Her dual colored eyes ran along the sleek lines of her racer. Red and black. Her favorite colors. Now she just needed a name for it. She smiled and patted it like an old friend. It was her only friend now. Too bad she hadn't been in a space craft in…well, ever. She threw all of her food and clothing in a side storage compartment and opened the cockpit, sliding herself in easily before sealing it up again.

Astryd was no dummy. She needed a starship and although she didn't know how to pilot one, she intended on learning. And fast. She had the ship delivered to the outskirts of town and when the delivery truck was well out of sight she started it up. Nice. She smiled to herself and gazed down at the console. Grabbing hold she learned the steering system before take off. It seemed easy enough. How to get it in the air though? Hmm….she looked around, pushing a few buttons. Radio. No. Com system. No. climate control. No. What about this one? She pushed the little grey button and two gatling guns exposed themselves from under her. Wow. Artillery. She leaned forward to get a better look through the glass of the cockpit, and accidentally hit a trigger on the right accelerator, releasing a rapid fire into the earth, dirt scattering in thick chunks. Astryd let out a surprised shriek and threw herself back into the seat, hands above her head defensively. "Holy shit!"

After regaining her composure she pressed the grey button again and the guns disappeared back into the craft. After a couple hours she was in the air. Shakey, but flying. It was exhilarating. This was a new kind of freedom she adored. Even as she made her way to Venus she couldn't wipe the smirk from her face. The bounty had come out over the com system at noon, as expected, but she was almost disappointed at the small amount they were offering. She rolled her eyes. How pathetic. Luckily for her she had gotten through the gate to Venus before the bounty was issued.

By that evening she was on Venus, a hotel room waiting for her, paid in cash so she couldn't be tracked. A peaceful place to rest her head. Tons of cash on hand, new clothes, a star ship, a new life….funny how a new life can send you right off to sleep.

It had been a couple of days now and she felt the urge to sing the blues. Sure, she had no reason to right now but if she did some karaoke the people here might start to know her. They might take her in for who she was. Or more, who she pretended to be. What should her new name be? Hm…she strode down the street, thinking of a new alias, fingers interlaced behind her head as she walked. Irene. That was nice. Irene Palmer. Full lips rose at the corners in a faint smile. Little did she know, a dark figure was following her though the crowded streets. If she had known she may have never come here. The bliss of freedom did a lot to a person's common sense.

The sun was setting on another beautiful day on Venus. A few remaining rays of the sun cast a dreamy golden glow on the buildings, casting long purple shadows into alley ways. It was supposed to rain tomorrow, but Astryd saw no trace of clouds on the horizon. Hell, she didn't mind the rain. It was soothing and relaxing and great to sleep to. Her mind lost in dreams she continued on to a karaoke bar at the next corner.

The dark figure shifted from the shadows, moving silently behind her, following her into the warmth of the bar. She paused, the shadow followed suit, stopping short of bumping into her. Nervousness hit her all of a sudden. All of these people, seemingly without faces. A warmth behind her caught her attention. The brush of a trench coat over her calves as she caught the strong scent of cigarettes and cheap cologne, mixing slightly with the smoke and smell of alcohol that seemed thick in the bar. Astryd whirled around only to be greeted by….

Nothing. No one was there. She chuckled nervously to herself, wringing her hands for a moment before taking a deep breath and righting herself. There wasn't a person in this bar she knew, why be embarrassed? The girl straightened herself and walked to the Karaoke dj, whispering something to him as the man tailing her ordered a drink and seated himself amongst the crowd. After the next few songs Astryd seated herself on a stool in the middle of a small stage, pulling the microphone off of the stand before she made herself comfortable. The dj announced her name, "Irene Palmer" and Astryd's shadow smiled from the crowed, gulping down a shot of whiskey. A thin hand pulled out a cigarette, lighting it swiftly and feeling the smoke fill his lungs, a smile still playing on his lips. However…his smile faded when her voice broke free from her lips. Slow and sultry and full of soul. She had put aside her freedom for a moment to sing the blues with all the pain and desperation she had felt her whole life.

"Happiness is just a word to me

And it might have meant a thing or two

If I'd known the difference

Emptiness, a lonely parody

And my life, another smokin' gun

A sign of my indifference

Always keepin' safe inside

Where no one ever had a chance

To penetrate a break in."

All eyes on Astryd, the man in the crowd leaned forward on his elbows, all sign of a smile gone. His eyes went dark as he listened to the words of the song, feeling them resonate in every fiber of his being. Like she was singing to him. About him. He realized how pretty she was with the mic in her small hand, pale skin with a blue tinge from the lighting, black hair falling from an unassuming pony tail. Hmmm. The blues as they should be.

"Let me tell you some have tried

But I would slam the door so tight

That they could never get in

Kept my cool under lock and key

And I never shed a tear

Another sign of my condition

Fear of love or bitter vanity

That kept me on the run

The main events at my confession."

Her dual colored eyed opened, looking right at him. His body froze as though her gaze was restraining him. But that was impossible. With the lights on her, he was sure she couldn't see him sitting here. He had seated himself in the shadows, away from the stage but still close enough to enjoy the warmth of the crowd around him.

"I kept a chain upon my door

That would shake the shame of Cain

Into a blind submission

The burning ghost without a name

Was calling all the same

But I wouldn't listen."

He smiled painfully, eyes on her but really staring off into space, his mind fully reflecting on himself and how successful he had been in not letting people into his life. Shit. He was so unsuccessful it was ridiculous. But those people didn't know did they.

"The longer I'd stall

The further I'd crawl

The further I'd crawl

The harder I'd fall

I was crawlin' into the fire

The more that I saw

The further I'd fall

The further I'd fall

The lower I'd crawl

I kept fallin' into the fire

Into the fire

Into the fire."

The crowd seemed to fade away and for a moment Astryd could feel a wetness in her eyes as her heart and soul poured out to these strangers. She hadn't even noticed that her voice had basically silenced the crowd. No. It was all her right now. Every somber note, soon rising in strength and passion, was hers and hers alone.

"Suddenly it occurred to me

The reason for the run and hide

Had totaled my existence

Everything left on the other side

Could never be much worse that this

But could I go the distance?

I faced the door and all my shame

Tearin' off each piece of chain

Until they all were broken

But no matter how I tried

The other side was locked so tight

That door, it wouldn't open

Gave it all that I got

And started to knock

Shouted for someone

To open the lock

I just gotta get through the door."

Faye….he thought silently. He fought himself to stay seated. He wanted to get up and run back to where he had seen Faye last and wait til she came back. To see if that door to her was closed. Instead he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, taking a long drag from his cigarette. Let her move on. It was better for her. Mismatched eyes remained closed until the end of the song as his mind wandered through emotion after emotion. Memory after memory. Sorting through everything lazily and trying to decide his next move. Well…the move after this one.

"And the more that I knocked

The hotter I got

The hotter I got

The harder I'd knock

I just gotta break through the door

Gotta knock a little harder

Gotta knock a little harder

Gotta knock a little harder

Break through the door."

The man discarded his cigarette in the table's ash tray before standing with the rest of the crowd in applause. The girl's face was visibly red, but the smile through her tears showed triumph over sadness. As quickly as she had come, she left. Her shadow followed her. The streets weren't as crowded now but he still waited a few blocks before drawing closer. Astryd was too busy thinking about her freedom and the life she left behind to notice she was being followed. Until it was too late. A hand shot out from behind her, covering her mouth drawing her close with strength that didn't seem to fit the thin frame she felt pressed against her back. Her eyes went wide with fear as a large handgun met her temple and the slow lazy drawl of her attacker drifted into her ear.

"Hiya Irene Palmer…or should I say Astryd Jackle. You know the price on your head? Four million woolongs." She could hear the smile in his voice and she sobbed. They upped her price in less than a week. That was never good. Spike's smile faded as he felt her small frame tremble at his touch. Surely she wasn't afraid of him? Hell she was syndicate raised. Surely she had seen and experienced worse than this before. He simply shrugged and dragged her off toward Swordfish II. Not his problem.

**Part Two**

Cross My Heart

"Please, don't turn me in. I can't go back there!" Astryd pleaded from her place beside the tacky yellow couch of the Bebop. Her hands were cuffed to the railing above her head in plain sight of her captors. Ed and Ein were passed out cold on the floor behind the couch, Ed snoring and giggling in her sleep. Jet sat on the chair, Spike on the couch opposite him. It was simply too late for all this crap but it had to be settled before morning.

"Doesn't that sound familiar?" Jet rolled his eyes in his rhetorical question. "Faye gave us the same kinda speech when we were about to take her in." He ran his cold metallic hand over his bald head with a sarcastic grin. Spike however did not look amused. He simply glared at her lazily from the corner of his eye as she tried begging them.

"I can help you. I can help you catch syndicate members." The words poured out of her lips but her eyes did not show any sign of remorse. She was dead serious.

This time Spike spoke. He threw an arm over the back of the couch, watching her with boredom.

"Sorry. I've had enough of syndicates. You can handle your own problems. I just want some beef for this crap Jet keeps serving me." The end of his boot tipped up the edge of a plate on the table. A few left over pieces of sautéed pepper clung to it's surface and Spike's stomach growled with distaste. For too long they had eaten bell peppers and beef…with no beef. This was an easy set up. Easy money and lots of beef.

"Please, you don't know what these people are like." She shook her head sadly, desperation filling her two toned eyes.

"You would be surprised." Spike whispered sarcastically to himself. Apparently she heard him because her eyes bored into him. He caught himself gazing back, eyebrow cocked in interest. Why the hell was she staring at him?

"I…know you." Spike was clearly surprised. "You're Spike Spiegel. Red Dragon Syndicate right? Then you do know what I'm talking about. Please Spike, I know you don't owe me anything but…I can help you. You must know something about the Black Jackles. You know…what they do to escapees."

"Spike?" Jet looked confused. He was a cop, not mafia. He held a suspicion in his voice as he watched Spike, waiting for an explanation. But Spike didn't speak. He merely lit his cigarette and took a long drag before Jet asked again, raising his voice this time. "Spike, what the hell is she talking about?"

The lanky man shifted his eyes toward her again, took a drag and closed his eyes as he let the smoke escape him in one long breath. "Black Jackles….they're one of the oldest crime syndicates in the solar system. They do things….differently than the Red Dragons. They didn't kill their traitors. No, that was too easy. They torture them. Mercilessly." His brow furrowed in irritation. Damn conscience. It wouldn't let him turn her in. "Damn it Jet…." He muttered over the growling of his stomach.

"Shit. Should we just let her go?" Jet growled.

"No." Spike waited for a moment, thinking before leaning over onto his knees and looking hard at her. "You can really help us get some syndicate members?" He was suspicious and rightfully so. She was born and raised to them. How did he know she wasn't just setting them up?

"Yes." She nodded sternly, her eyes not wavering. She was telling the truth. One blue, one green….how interesting. Spike locked eyes with her, reading the desperation in their depths.

"Why would you help us? How do we know you won't just screw us over and get us killed?" Jet spoke what Spike was thinking. However, Spike knew why she was willing to help. It was something that Jet had never experienced, so he couldn't see the obvious.

"I want the Black Jackle Syndicate gone. I want all of the syndicates gone….but I can help most with Black Jackle. And White Tiger." Her words caught Spike's attention White Tiger? They were rough too but not as bad as the Jackles. Yet here she was, so small and insignificant but willing to help take down two whole syndicates. That was millions of woolongs. Hundreds of millions.

"Well Jet. I guess you were right. This bounty did get interesting" Spike smiled, amused, and snuffed out his cig before standing and making his way down the hall. "Sweet dreams." He waved casually over his shoulder before entering his room for a night of good, hard earned sleep.

"If you betray us….I'll make sure you go back to the Jackles." Jet growled at her. But then seeing the relief in her eyes he softened. He felt like a pile of shit. She was so….tiny. What were her stats again? Five foot three? With a hearty sigh Jet stood and unlocked her wrists, only to cuff them behind her back while he helped her to the couch. "You can sleep here. Better than being strung up like a fish." Astryd smiled thankfully at him as he left the room, turning the lights off as he exited. Engulfed in darkness she laid her head down on the sofa. He must sit here often, she thought absently to herself as the scent of cigarettes and cheap cologne lulled her to a deep, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Part One**

Misstep

"Spike?" A small voice behind Spike caught his attention. He turned around. Damn, where am I? It's dark in here. Like a light from heaven he was greeted by Julia. She stared at him with blank eyes, no feeling in them anymore.

"Julia." Her name rolled from his lips without thought.

"I don't love you anymore." As she spoke, her voice turned to Faye's voice, another familiar sting. He turned as Julia walked away, only to see Faye standing so near him he could feel her warmth. Her eyes looked so sad. So distant.

His brow furrowed at that look in her eyes. He had done this to her. That hurt him inside, but he had to do it. It was the only way he could move on from his past. There wasn't any other way around his leaving those two long years ago. Vicious would have killed Faye and Spike would have had to deal with the pain of her loss on top of the pain of losing Julia. Did Faye understand that?

"Spike." She whispered, reaching out to him.

"Faye." Her name a whisper, a desperate whisper as his hand reached out to touch hers. Then she pulled away. Her hand withdrew before he could feel her skin and she too turned, walking away into the darkness. "The wilds are calling me. I can't wait for you Spike."

There he stood, in shock and silence, feeling desperate to run after her. But his feet wouldn't move. He felt something on his chest, soft at first, then growing in strength, pulling him away from where Faye had just disappeared. He had to get away from it.

All of a sudden he was on his back, gasping under the weight of a large black jackal, the creature's eyes burning red with the desire to consume him. Teeth bared inches above his face and no matter how hard he struggled, he could not free himself from the claws of the beast.

Astryd had come to wake Spike for Jet, leaning gently over him, she called his name. Once, no answer. Twice, no answer either but his face changed to worry, then to fear. She poked his shoulder lightly at first, afraid to touch him fully. Nothing was working. Exasperated, she stood with her hands on her hips as she thought on what Jet had told her. Spike may be hard to wake, don't hesitate to use excessive force. How the hell did this guy get tangled up in a syndicate? He seemed so…goofy. Astryd just couldn't understand why anyone would think he was dangerous. But then again, she didn't know Spike.

Excessive force seemed a bit too harsh in this situation, so instead she just leaned over, her palms planted on his chest, eyes staring him down. "Get up Spike."

Before she could react, his eyes snapped open and his hands gripped her wrists with crippling strength. She let out a cry as he threw himself from the bed to the floor, hands clamping her wrists to the cold metal under her, his body forcing the breath out of her lungs with a gasp. His eyes were so full of rage and fear, she became afraid of him. All it took was that one moment for her body to shake.

Spike's dream faded and his rage subsided, focusing instead on Astryd's eyes, wide with a terror he had never seen. His mouth fell open in shock, eyes slightly wide as he realized he had her pinned down to the floor, bruises already forming on her pale wrists. She was trembling. Damn

"Astryd…I…." He released her and sat back against the side of the bed as Astryd scrambled to her feet and out of the room, dark hair flying as she ran.

Spike sighed, head in his hand as he recovered from his nightmare. Shit. Now she was afraid of him. Shaking his head he rose from the floor and lit a cigarette. Slender fingers pulled it from his lips as he gazed up at the ceiling, shoving his other hand into his sweat pants pocket. Well, may as well get up now.

In the kitchen Astryd sat quietly, her eyes locked to her coffee cup. When Spike entered, she gazed at him from the corner of her eyes, shrinking away wordlessly. He gave her a look that said, "I'm sorry" before he took a plate from beside the stove.

"Jet, don't you know how to cook anything other than sautéed bell peppers?" No amusement here, just bored irritation. Spike's eyebrow twitched as he plopped down at the table beside Astryd. She didn't even look at him, but he noticed her fingers tighten around her cup. She had put her jacket back on and secretly he was great full. If Jet saw those bruises on her wrists, he might throw Spike out into space. Or make him wash dishes.

With that thought Spike picked up some half burned bell peppers with his chop sticks, eyes shifting lazily to Astryd. "This stuff'll kill you." He gave her a goofy grin before reaching out quickly and with his mastery of sleight of hand, pulled a coin from behind her ear. When he moved toward her, it took everything she had to not draw back from him.

"Quit complaining Spike. If you want something else, cook it yourself." Jet's eyes closed in irritation as he growled at his male comrade, slamming the skillet down on the stove. Astryd flinched. Jet didn't notice, but Spike did. He chewed slowly, watching the girl from the corner of his eye. She was looking away again.

"WeeOOO WeeOOO WeeOOO!" Edward came flying through the door, arms outstretched like an airplane, wailing like a siren, her trusty Tomato perched precariously on top of her head. Astryd was visibly stunned as the wild red head threw herself in the chair next to her, pushing the computer from her head to the table. Jet tossed a plate over in front of Ed and the child seemed ecstatic, gobbling down the food like it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

Astryd felt something on her bare foot. Ein was sniffing her, trying to figure out where she came from. With a gentle smile, she managed to relax a bit. Her father never let her have a god, even though she had always wanted one. Spike watched carefully as Astryd reached down to pet Ein, the small dog greeting her with a lick to the hand and a cheerful bark.

"Ein!" Jet yelled at the dog, placing a silver food bowl on the floor at his feet. "Quit making a nuisance of yourself." Ein whined at Jet before tottering over to his bowl and digging in. "So kid, what about this first bounty?" Jet seated himself at the table with the rest of them.

"His name is Kyou Izaki." Astryd picked at the plate before her, thinking about the wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast that she could be having. Then her mind wandered to her starship, still unnamed, that she had been forced to leave on Venus. "He's not exactly the top of the food chain, but he's got a nice sized bounty on his head."

"Edward has found the white kitty Izaki-man." Edward sang, legs wiggling as her slender fingers flew over the keys with ease. In a few moments she had the profile of a man pulled up on the screen and was happily showing his mugshot to the rest of the table.

Jet leaned forward for a better look, mouth full of crunchy peppers. "Let's see. Thirty six years old, five foot eleven, two hundred and seventy pounds. Bit of a fatty. Seems to be living well, maybe he'll share the wealth. Two million woolongs. That's not too bad. Wanted for control and sale of an illegal substance and multiple counts of assault."

"Small fry." Spike muttered, obviously uninterested. "Eh, I think I'm going to sit this one out."

"Spike." Jet threatened. "You're going. "

"I just don't feel like it." Rising to his feet, Spike waved them off lazily.

"I'll do it." Spike stopped dead in his tracks, looking back to Astryd. "I'll get him Jet." She looked at Jet with confidence, but she knew he wouldn't let her go alone. She was right.

"You can't go alone. I can't trust you yet. Spike, you get your lazy ass out there and work. You want beef? Go get it." Jet growled and Spike sighed.

"Fine. Come on Astryd, let's go." He motioned over his shoulder for her to get ready.

"I need to do something first." Astryd looked at Edward. "Can I borrow your computer for a second? I just need to send an email." When she noticed Jet and Spike eying her suspiciously, she answered their unasked question. "I'm sending for my star ship. It'll be waiting for us on Ganymede."

Edward slid the computer over, swaying and singing to herself. Within a few minutes Astyrd closed the lid of the laptop, thanked Edward, and followed Spike toward the hallway. Her first bounty hunt and she was nervous. The White Tigers were a tough syndicate and messing up here could mean life or death for her…or Spike.

"Get yourself ready and meet me in the hanger in ten minutes."

"Don't you have a plan Spike?" Astryd was confused. Was he really planning on rushing in with no plan?

"Plans aren't really my thing." Flashing her a crooked smile, Spike disappeared into his room, leaving Astryd staring at the door in wonder.

The ride had been uncomfortable to say the least. There was little space in the Swordfish II so Astryd had to sit in Spike's lap. Once they entered the gate system Spike put the auto pilot on and sat back in the seat, Astryd straight as a board in his lap.

She had never sat in a man's lap before and it made her uncomfortable to say the least. Keeping her eyes averted to the stars outside helped a little, but she could still smell him. Cigarettes, cheap cologne, and something else. Something more natural. Her face burned scarlet as she put her hands between her knees. She looked down at her legs. He was skinny but to her, he was big. She barely took up any room on his legs. Her own legs hung down over his, her toes coming almost a foot from touching the floor.

Spike hadn't moved in a while. What was he doing? Taking a chance to glance back she was a little surprised to see him relaxed with his hands behind his head, eyes closed and ready for a nap. This was a sensory overload for Astryd, she found herself fidgeting.

"Keep squirming like that and I'll have to pin you to the floor again." His voice was cool and joking but Astryd's face burned hotter at his threat.

Take a deep breath Astryd. Just relax a bit, she kept telling herself. But it wasn't working. His hand grasped her shoulder and pulled her back and to the right, letting her lay just to the side of him.

"All that damn fidgeting is ruining my nap. Go to sleep. We have a few hours to Ganymede and I want to be well rested when we get there."

With a shaky sigh she relaxed, arms wrapped around herself as if to keep in warmth. In truth, she didn't want to touch him with her hands. When she did, her skin seemed to burn, longing to touch more of him. Touch his face, his hair, his chest. Her heart was beating wildly. Did he notice? What the hell are you thinking Astryd? The first guy you met outside of your family and the syndicate and you're acting like a giddy school girl. Falling for the first guy you meet, how stupid. You don't even know him.

Spike had felt her heart, peeking an eye open at her he had seen her flushed red face. He couldn't remember the last time he had that kind of effect on anyone. Julia had always been so relaxed. Calm, cold, and dangerous. She had been very quiet and somber, but then, Julia was no rookie to this life. She had been through a lot and seen much more, including her share of lovers. Faye had been loud and angry, masking her feelings for him in petty insults. That woman had an attitude but she was innocent under it all. A broken woman thrown headlong into a world she knew nothing about. It made her hard. The only time Spike thought he might have seen the best of her, the part of her she had locked away, was the day he left. Bullet holes still riddled the roof of the hallway, a heafty reminder of where your past could get you.

But not Astryd. She wasn't like either of them. Naïve, excitable, fearful, nervous...things Julia and Faye weren't. He felt bad for her though. Poor girl seemed to be taken by him and he wasn't really interested. She did have a nice….uh voice. His eyes had wandered too far. Typical male, he chuckled to himself.

"Spike, that's him. That's Kyou." Astryd did her best to hide her face behind a menu as she pointed the bounty head out to her blue clad partner.

"Recognize anyone with him?" Spike peered coolly around the corner of the booth of the diner they had tracked their bounty to. It was late and most of the crowd had died down, but Kyou still sat in the corner booth with two other men. At first Spike thought it might have been a drug exchange, but when the men didn't leave he wasn't sure what to think.

"No. They must be personal body guards. White Tiger prohibits them for low ranking members like him but…it seems he wants to be a big shot."

"Heh. I'll show him a big shot. Watch this."

A gun was visible by Kyou's leg from where Astryd and Spike sat across the diner. Easy as pie, Spike thought, standing suddenly and leaving Astryd behind with her mouth open in surprise. As he strode up to the table he pulled out a cigarette, placing it gently between his lips.

"Gotta light?" A crooked grin, charming and mischievous, was met by a look of suspicious from Kyou, but the seated man pulled out a lighter anyway.

Spike leaned closer, as did the other man. Once the cherry glowed with Spike's first inhale, he stuck his Jericho up into Kyou's throat.

"Alright then Kyou, you gunna come with me the easy way, or are you going to make me work for it?" Spike drawled slowly, his deep voice laced with sarcasm.

The other two men pulled their guns on Spike and the few remaining patrons panicked, scrambling to leave. Most just threw their money on the bar and got the hell out of dodge. Smart people. The cashier was begging that they take the fight outside, waitresses were rushing into the kitchen. Astryd took cover under the table, hoping they wouldn't see her, but she couldn't just leave Spike to fend for himself. She pulled her 10mm hand gun from inside of her jacket and took aim for the man on Spike's right.

"Heh. You obviously don't know who you're messing with cowboy." Kyou smiled, his eyes snowing no fear. The syndicate man had every confidence in the men at his sides and placed a lot of faith in their abilities. But faith couldn't combat Spike. In an instant, the tall bounty hunter smashed Kyou across the face with the butt of the Jericho, slinging blood from his victim's mouth as he knocked him unconscious. In the same move, Spike flipped the table up toward them, just as the henchmen fired their weapons.

Astryd stood from below the table and fired a round into one man's chest, dropping him dead on the spot. She stood back and waited, gun at the ready, as the second guard charged Spike with a knife, his gun lost in the commotion. Astryd ran forward, no longer afraid. Many years of training came back as naturally as breathing and for a moment she became the killing machine she was bred to be.

Spike dodged the knife easily, smiling at it passed him by mere inches. What he saw next took the smile away as quickly as it had come. Astryd took the extended arm of the knife armed assailant and used his weight against him, slamming him on his back, the knife clattering away. Astryd raised her weapon without mercy and put a bullet between the man's eyes, a little blood spattering across her face.

Silence filled the diner, Spike staring in disbelief at Astryd. The eyes he had seen so much terror in, were now filled with a deadly coldness that sent chills down his spine. She blinked several times, as if finally coming to, dropping her own weapon to the floor. Reflexes had kicked in so quickly, she didn't even think. What kind of person was she? What kind of monster had they trained her to be?

Lips parted, brow drawn with concern, Astryd met Spike's gaze. "Spike…I…" killed people. A lump caught in her throat. Two lives lay expired and it was all her fault. Shaking her head in horror, something trickled down her cheek. Blood. That man's blood. It wasn't until she bumped into the bar that she realized she had been backing away from the body.

"Astryd." He pitied her. Shit, he couldn't remember the faces of most of the people he had ever killed, but he did remember the first one. The more time he spent around Astryd the more interested he was. Syndicate born and raised and yet, she was twenty plus years old and had never killed anyone before. She was obviously trained, and well. Why did she have any real experience? That seemed strange. "Lets just….get him back to Bebop." Spike motioned to Kyou, unconscious in the booth.

Hours later they returned to the Bebop, Kyou tied up and thrown carelessly in a storage bay of the Swordfish II. Astryd followed Spike without a word in her star ship that she had decided to name Stingray. It matched the theme of the other ships on the Bebop, falling perfectly with Swordfish and Hammerhead. She landed the craft in the hanger beside the Swordfish II, giving a pitiful glance at the beaten old craft. It was like Spike, beaten and broken, but still very much alive.

The hatch of the Stingray opened with a click and Astryd climbed out just as Spike was handing the struggling body of Kyou over to Jet. Astryd swung her legs over the wing of her craft and watched from afar, still too shocked to speak.

From what she could hear, Jet would be taking Kyou in for the bounty, thinking it was too dangerous for Spike or Astryd to be seen with a syndicate member. It seemed less suspicious if an ex cop brought in a mafia member and was less likely to be traced back to other syndicates. Edward zoomed in, Tomato in tow, and Astryd wondered how the red haired kid managed to run around with it on her head without dropping it.

Jet loaded up in the Hammerhead, tossing a very pissed off Kyou into the second storage compartment he would see today. Edward was begging Jet to let her go and after a moment of irritated argument on Jet's part, he consented and the lanky bohemian girl jumped in to the cockpit with him.

Moments later they were gone, leaving the hanger in silence once more.

"Nice craft." Spike whistled as he walked toward her, eyes on the ship, fingers dragging across the sleek unmarred hull. He could barely remember the last time Swordfish looked this good. "Got a name for it yet?" He asked casually, hoping the conversation wouldn't change into anything more serious. He was shit when it came to comforting people. Always had been, but he knew she needed something other than the last bounty to think about.

"Stingray." She spoke quietly, watching him sadly from her perch.

"Stingray huh?" He eyed her with a grin, noticing that she had named it something that went along with their weird fish theme. It was nice in a way. Felt like she was comfortable enough with them to stay. Then again, maybe she was like Faye. No where else to go, may as well stay here. "You like coffee?"

"Hm?" Her looked turned to one of confusion, head tilting to the side. "I don't know."

"What? What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well…"She started, twisting her finger in embarrassment. "I've never been allowed to eat junk food, or drink caffeine." She shrugged.

"Why not? I'm not a big junk food guy myself but I live on caffeine. And bell peppers." He smirked, trying to lighten the mood. He failed.

"Training for…" She stopped. "My training required that I was in top condition so….no junk food."

"Come on, I'll introduce you to my oldest friend." He reached a hand up casually to help her down. Hesitation, then acceptance. She took his hand and leapt down from the wing, bending her knees at she landed.

**Part Two**

****Coffee and Small Talk

"This is coffee? Smells good." Taking another lungful she almost smiled, then took a sip. Spike waited expectantly, his own mug drawn close to his lips as he watched her, half waiting for her to spit it out and throw the cup at him. Faye hated his coffee. Said it was vile shit. He smirked at the memory. She took a sip and he was pleased to see her close her eyes and lean back, relaxed. "I like it."

Spike took a drink too, leaning back on the couch and propping his feet up on the table. She followed suit, making herself comfortable on the chair across from him. He watched her quietly, then seeing the gun bulging from her coat pocket he spoke.

"You can put that gun away. You don't need it here."

Reaching for her gun, her hand stopped, and for the first time since he pinned her to the floor, she removed her jacket instead. The material slid gently over her pale shoulders, nicely exposed by her tight black racer back halter top. The bruises on her wrists were obvious and Spike looked down away from her. She pulled the bandana off and let her hair down.

"Ah. Much better." She sighed and leaned back once more, relaxing and sipping her coffee.

"Sorry 'bout that by the way…" He pointed to her wrists. She just shrugged.

"I've had worse, I was just…." Scared….the word lingered on her lips. Yeah, she had been through worse and every time it scared her as bad as when Spike had hurt her. Without another word she stood and went back to the kitchen to get more coffee. As she walked away he caught a glimpse of thick, raised scars on her back, peeking around her shirt. His eyes grew wide, then somber, following her form down the hall.

He said nothing when she returned, deciding to keep his questions to himself. He could hear her sit back down, plopping her feet up on the table and knocking into his boots on accident. Tho she didn't move them from touching his. Glancing up at her curiously, she had her head leaned back over the edge of the chair, fingers lose around her cup of coffee.

"Hey Spike?" Her voice was quiet and relaxed.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not turning me in."

"Yeah. Sure thing." A smirk turned up the corners of his lips, waiting for a reply he realized she had fallen asleep on the chair. "Heh." He chuckled, shaking his head and draining the rest of his coffee. Looking at the dregs that remained, he eyed her cup. Leaning forward with a quick motion, he swapped their cups, drinking from hers before standing and retiring to his own room.

**Part Three**

Tiger's Eye

On Ganymede, the tone was not to relaxing. A lone man stood in the middle of a large marble floored room. He was terrified, but trying not to show it, as the White Tiger elders glared down at him. The five of them sat high above him in their council box, eying the messenger with distaste.

Wide narrow windows spanned the top of the room, light from one of Jupiter's other moons poured in, casting an eerie silver glow to the floor, keeping the elders in darkness. Only the top members of the syndicate even knew what they looked like, and that's how they liked it.

"Who caught him?" A calm voice growled from the darkness.

The man below gulped, drawing in a ragged breath. "Some ex cop turned him in."

"Ex cop?" One elder eyed another suspiciously, then turned back and spoke to the messenger once more. "Monitor this situation carefully. No need to heighten security at this point, but keep your eyes and ears open. We're dismissing this as coincidence for right now."

"Get out." Another voice snapped from the darkness and the messenger gratefully took his leave, almost stumbling in his haste. "How do we know he wasn't snitched on?"

"Patience." A calmer voice answered. "An ex cop catching a low level syndicate member means little. It happens to other syndicates all the time."

"But not to ours." A third voice sounded dark, thoughtful.

"I'm sure this if just coincidence. If it happens again, then we can investigate."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Part One**

Bebop Bobber

A couple weeks had passed since they turned in Kyou, Jet saying it was too dangerous to catch too many close together. Astryd had taken up the cooking duty and Spike was happy for it. No more burnt bell peppers. Astryd had done all the shopping, even throwing some of her own money in without telling them. She had stocked up on months worth of food and it was a good thing too. Paying all the damages to the diner had taken a chunk out of the bounty and now they were running out of fuel.

Jet had landed the Bebop in one of Earth's oceans, and after finding some money (that Astryd had snuck into the safe) Jet decided to go ashore in the Hammerhead and figure out a way to bring them in for fuel. Astryd and Spike were still sleeping so he took Ed and Ein along with him.

"Where's Jet?" Astryd leaned into the common room, Spike passed out on the couch. She rolled her eyes. Another long night with his second best friend. Alcohol. The half empty bottle loose in his grip.

She frowned and took the bottle of booze out of his hand, setting it on the table and kneeling down beside the couch. He looked to peaceful. Her head tilted, then rested on her hand at the edge of the couch.

"Julia…" He mumbled, brow furrowing slightly.

Astryd's smile faded. Julia. He said her name in his sleep all the time. Astryd wondered who she was. There was another name he said sometimes instead of Julia. What was it again? Faye. Yeah, it was Faye. Astryd could only guess the binds these women kept on the cowboy. With a sigh she stood, almost afraid to wake him, she stood at the head of the couch, peering down over him.

"Spike. Hey, Spike."

His eyes opened with a snap and he sat up a bit too quickly, smacking heads with her. He fell back to the couch and she stumbled into the wall.

"What the hell Spike!?" She held her head, feeling it throb. It felt like her brain was being used as a pinball. Waking him was far too dangerous. Big goof ball hurt her every time.

"Dammit Faye!" He cursed, eyes tight with pain. "Huh?" His eyes opened and focused on Astryd, standing there with her hand on her forehead, eyes returning his gaze with a sense of disappointment. "Sorry Astryd. Just a…dream."

"You sure do have a hard head Spike." She ignored his comment with a grin. This man was more hung up than she was. At least she didn't talk about him in her sleep. Or did she? "Where's Jet?"

Moving their hands aside, they laughed at their matching red spots. Spike leaned back on the couch, chuckling as he lit a cigarette. Then answered her with a shrug. "Probably went to get a barge to haul our sorry asses to shore. Hammerhead is the only ship with any fuel in it."

"Shore? Where are we?"

"Earth." Was Spike's short reply. When he looked back to speak again, she was gone, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. "That was weird." Sitting in boredom only lasted a moment before curiosity got to him and he rose to follow her.

Out on the deck he tossed his spent cigarette aside, watching Astryd with vague interest. Stepping closer, hand stuffed in his pockets. Standing beside her, they watched the sunset, orange and yellow glistening on the water. Thick dark clouds moved in from the West and Spike sighed.

"Hope Jet gets back before that hits or we're in trouble."

Astryd grinned at his laziness. "Spike, you are one of a kind, ya know that?" Laughing to herself she turned her eyes to the clouds above. Europa didn't have terrible weather. Everything was controlled by the weather department. Rain came when it was needed but since lightning was so volatile, it couldn't be simulated and controlled in that type of environment. Not even heavy winds were known to Astyrd, so she had no idea what kind of trouble he was talking about. "A little rain never hurt anyone."

"A little rain? Are you even looking at the same clouds?" Brow arched in bored questioning. "Those clouds are going to bring a storm that'll toss this ship around like a rag doll.

At that, Astryd's face changed from amusement to confusion. Spike simply sighed as the first drops of rain began to fall. "C'mon. We have to get inside. It'll be too dangerous out here. Looks like we'll have to wait it out. No way a barge will come for us in this weather."

In a few hours Astryd came into full realization the ferocity of earth storms. Spike was right about tossing around. The Bebop has successfully been turned into a bobber, tossing about on the waves like it weighted nothing at all. Thunder, booming loudly, told Spike the storm was dangerously close. He silently hoped the ship wouldn't get struck by lightning.

They sat in silence behind the couch, backs to the bright yellow surface, feet braced against the wall. The smartest thing Jet had done to the ship was bolt the furniture down. The couch wasn't about to budge so they had hunkered down here.

At first Astryd had been afraid but Spike assured her that the ship wouldn't sink, nor would the storm be able to turn it over. That was hardly believable, but Astryd accepted it anyway and just relaxed. If it hadn't been so rough, it might have been soothing. She was sleepy anyway. With a yawn she leaned over, laying her head against the side of Spike's shoulder, hoping he wouldn't push her off. Normally she wouldn't have touched him, but right now, she needed it. Needed to breath in his scent, needed to feel his warmth.

He looked down at her in shock, an unlit cigarette dangling from his parted lips. A flame from his lighter was looming before his face, trembling in the tossing of the waves. Lighting his cigarette he contemplated what to do. By letting her lean against him, he was hurting her. Letting her get too close, too attached. This was only spurring her feelings onward and he didn't return them. He felt something for her but…it was undetermined at this point. He hardly knew her. Yeah, she was beautiful and sweet, with captivating eyes and the voice of an angel. Then, there was that one side of her that fed his wild side. That deadly look in her eyes when taking another life. That was something that did attract him. He was a cowboy, longing for danger. She was…a syndicate bred killer with an innocent face.

Maybe that's why he let her rest against him. He knew some of the loneliness that went along with syndicate life. The need to feel another body to you were still alive. It drew you toward people you probably couldn't have. Just like how he was drawn to Julia. There was no one else he could be with, no one else he could touch.

Astryd was that way, but worse. From what he had gathered in the passing weeks, she had never left Europa. Hell, she had been confined for her whole life. That's what made it worse. At least he was allowed out into the world. It was bound to happen that she would fall for him, like he fell for Julia. Julia was the first woman he had contact with in the years following his joining of the Red Dragons. Likewise, he was the first man Astryd had ever been able to touch.

When he didn't push her away, she relaxed completely, her face pressing into the firmness of his arm. Deeply inhaling his scent, she fell into a deep sleep.

**Part Two**

Sleepwalker

"Astryd. Haha. You thought we couldn't find you." A voice echoed, calm and cynical, amused even. Her eyes fluttered open. She was on the floor behind the couch. Everything looked still, like the storm had passed, but she felt as though the floor was still unstable under her. Spike wasn't there. Sitting up in panic, she caught sight of a tall man standing in the doorway at the opposite side of the room. A few more men stood behind him, filling the space, but she couldn't see their faces in the shadows. Just eyes. Blood red eyes glowing from the darkness.

"Spike!" She called loudly, needing him to help her. Scrambling back away from the men she found it hard to catch her balance, falling sideways into a wall.

"Spike? Ha!" The dark man laughed, then Spike stepped around him into the light, his brown, two toned eyes unfeeling. "Spike's the one who turned you in my dear." Spike held out a hand and the other man slapped a huge stack of cash into Spike's palm. Then Spike smiled and walked away.

"Wait, Spike!" She reached for him and the men advanced. Tears brimmed in her eyes, a lump in her throat catching her breath. "Spike…please, don't do this." His name a whisper, she realized he had betrayed her. The realization was heartbreaking. The pain probably would have been less if he would have just ripped her heart out with his bare hands.

The second hallway became her escape. Out the door behind the stair railing and down the hall, she couldn't keep herself righted. Running wasn't working, her legs felt like bricks. Walking a quickly as she could manage, she kept slamming into walls, stumbling around in the dark.

The door to the hanger deck was right before her. She hit the control panel hard with her fist and fell out into a dark calm night. The ocean was still and silent, the broken moon high overhead cast a beautiful but eerie reflection on the water. Racing to the edge of the ship, she was still having a hard time with her footing. They must have drugged her. The ship wasn't moving anymore, so drugs were the only explanation. The door opened again behind her, the men were gone but Spike was there, staring at her with a careless expression.

Grinning almost evilly, Spike raced for her and as quickly as she could, she dropped to her knees, trying to climb over the side of the ship and lower herself down to the water. As soon as her foot touched a little ledge, her whole body was flung up in the air. Screaming, she reached for Spike, confused and hurt but hoping he would find it in his heart to help her.

It was too late now anyway. The violent force that had thrown her, had tossed her too far from the ship and she hit the ocean with force. Suddenly waves were crushing her, one after another, forcing her further down. Bubbled all around her body as it rolled in the torrent, she simply couldn't right herself. She had been dreaming but now, she was in the ocean, fully awake and drowning. Fingers moving through the crushing liquid, trying in vain to grab anything that might save her. Nothing. Astryd fought her body as long as she could before it forced her to take a breath. Water flooded into her lungs and everything went black.

**Part Three**

Three Little Words

Spike felt a movement beside him. Waking, he felt the ship still rocking at full force. His torso had fallen onto the floor, Astryd leaning onto his legs as a pillow. She was moving. Fidgeting in her sleep.

As he sat up, her head rolled into his lap. Normally someone should look peaceful when they slept, but her face was drawn with fear and sadness. A slender hand moved a strand of hair from her face. He almost jumped out of his skin when her eyes opened, staring right through him. Was she still asleep?

Staying completely still he watched her with interest. She peered over the back of the couch, silent for a moment, then her breathing grew fasted, horror plastered to her face but her eyes were dead. She was sleeping.

Balancing himself the best he could, he drew himself up in a kneeling position and looked at the door way. Empty. His eyes went back to her as she scrambled away, still staring into the empty hall. Reaching for her a bit too late she slammed into the wall as a wave hit the outside of the Bebop.

"Spike!" She called his name, loud and desperate. Something about it sent a chill down his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he stumbled to grab her. Sure, it was stupid to wake a sleep walker but he had to do his best. Anything was better than letting her stay in the hell she was in.

"Wait Spike!" Her hand reached out to darkness. What was he doing to her in her dream? "Spike… please, don't do this!" A tear ran down her cheek and he felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. What was this feeling? His hand withdraw from her, shocked at what he was hearing, seeing, feeling.

Then she was gone. Stumbling down the hallway. He had to follow her. Damn storm.

Out in the hallway she kept slamming into walls until she reached the door. She had to be stopped. It was too dangerous out there! "Astryd, wake up!" Pushing himself faster only hurt him in the end. As she threw herself into the door he fell and tumbled back several feet. When he regained his footing he rushed the door with as much haste as he could manage. What was happening to him?

When he finally opened the door a flash of lightning lit the sky, and to his horror, Astryd was at the edge of the platform. Blood ran cold in his veins. Oh shit. He raced toward her, calling her back from the edge. Catching hold of a docking cable he quickly wrapped it under his arms and latched it securely behind his back. Almost there!

A massive wave hit that side of the ship, sending Astryd flying through the air. "Astryd!" His voice was lost in a boom of thunder, but her scream hit him loud and clear after the rumble faded away. Pale white hand reached for him, but she was too far away.

Into the ocean she went, disappearing under the black surface. In an instant he was in after her, feeling the cable tighten roughly around his chest. It was an act of God that he felt her, barely grasping her wrist in the torrent that threatened to kill them both.

The docking cable began to retract and Spike was glad it was doing its job. He pulled Astryd close, feeling her weight, heavy in his arms. His lungs burned with the need for a breath of air. Not a moment too soon, his head broke the water's surface. It was a quick ride to the top of the platform. With no time to spare, he lifted Astryd's motionless body and released himself from the cable, racing to the door and ultimately tumbling back through it. The hallway was dark, only the pale blue security lights that lit the floor cast any light on the pair.

Spike righted himself, lowering his ear to her mouth. She wasn't breathing. Clamping her nose shut he drew a deep breath and pressed his mouth harshly to hers, trying to breath life back into her. Don't die on me, please don't die on me. Thoughts racing, he pumped her chest hard, then lowering his mouth to hers again.

Panic was setting in. Once, twice, three times he had breathed into her with no sign of life. Four times, five times, six…he couldn't stop. "Breath dammit!" One more breath and a hard pump to her chest forced liquid from her lungs.

Sputtering and choking she rolled away from him, her breathing ragged, her whole body shaking. His hands pulled her shoulders back, embracing her to his chest where she could hear his heart beating furiously in his chest. This girl, who only hours ago he told himself he didn't care for, had just scared the shit out of him.

"Oh god Spike….I…." She buried her face and sobbed gripping the front of his leisure suit for dear life.

"Shhh. You're okay." His eyes shut tight, he spoke three little words she was glad to hear. "I've got you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Part One**

A Pinch of Treason

"Astryd. Hey, you ready to go?" A voice behind her drew her attention to the door of her room. There Spike stood, propped against the door frame with his hands in his pockets and a goofy grin on his face.

Smiling and shaking her head, Astryd rose to meet him. "Yeah, I guess so." As she passed him she took a playful jab at his shoulder. He caught her fist and deflected it easily.

"You'll have to try harder than that, grasshopper." Another smirk and he followed her down the hallway to the common room. Jet sat waiting, computer on the table with stats pulled up on their latest bounty target. Edward was sprawled out on the floor and using Ein as a pillow. The poor dog just lay there looking worried. He didn't like being used as a pillow. Every time he would try and get away, Edward would just grab him harshly, smile, and pull him back down.

Astryd gave the girl little notice as she passed through the room, picking her handgun from the table. After making sure it was loaded, it was holstered at her thigh, and an extra clip was placed in her back pocket. It felt heavy on her leg, but even heavier on her heart. Those men she had killed…and this gun…Spike had told her many times that it was okay. That their deaths were justified but she knew he was just trying to make her feel better. She remembered the look of shock on his face when she pulled the trigger. The first man could be justified, he was armed. The second man had dropped his weapon before Astryd had pulled the trigger. That's what bothered her.

"You guys be careful out there. And Spike, don't be stupid! I'm tired of wasting the bounty to clean up your damn messes!" Jet's brow furrowed in irritation. He got mad at Spike often, but Astryd had learned that it was just the old cop's way of expressing his concern. In the time that Astryd had been here she learned that the strange pair did care about eachother, even if they had weird ways of showing it. But something was missing. Or more like, someone.

Astryd had found little things here and there that suggested a woman used to be on board. Half empty bottles of fingernail polish, a chocolate bar or two, and ladies shampoo. No one wanted to talk to her about it though. Except Edward. But that kid had no idea that it was a "forbidden subject." All that Astryd could figure out was that the woman's name was Faye, and that she used to be a bounty hunter that lived here with Spike and Jet. The kid couldn't really stay focused enough to give her any more info and she didn't really care to ask Spike about it. He had said that name in his sleep a few times, mostly on nights that he had passed out on the couch from drinking too much.

"Yeah yeah." Astryd was snapped back to reality as Spike returned Jet's concern with a grin and a lazy wave of his hand as he walked out into the hall. Astryd smiled, said bye to Jet, then followed Spike. It seemed like it should be that way, her following him. Then again, she felt like many women had seen this side of him. Seen his back as he walked away.

Hours later and they found themselves in a crowded marketplace, surrounded by dark men speaking in strange tongues. Astryd stayed close to Spike's side, glancing about in a paranoid fashion. She was worried and Spike was well aware. This wasn't the best place for a runaway crime lord's daughter. One wrong move and she might be recognized by an underground syndicate member.

Spike didn't speak, just tried to fit in. He would help her if she was caught. That part was already decided. He wasn't going to treat her with the same disregard he had treated Faye with. So many times Faye had needed his help and he wasn't there for her. A few times he had saved her, but not as much as he should have. Julia clouded his mind in those days. Her and his own delusion that was. For so long he had fooled himself in to believing he still loved her. Until he saw her. It was that day that he realized where he needed to be, and that a future with Julia would only be a continuation of the past. A bad dream, constantly looping.

Dual toned eyes gazed down at Astryd, then he nudged her gently with his elbow, not removing his hands from his pockets. When her blue and green eyes met his he smiled a little, trying to reassure her that she would be okay.

Suddenly she stopped, falling back a bit and pulling her hand up to her lips, barely touching the knuckles to the soft flesh there. Then she dipped back behind the side of a stall. Spike followed. When he leaned around the corner to speak to her she pulled his face closer, whispering in his ear. "That's the guy over there, with the brown jacket and fur hat."

This close he could smell a sweetness on her breath and his eyes sparkled with mischief. "You've been eating chocolate. Where did you find chocolate?" His stomach growled.

"Spike! Focus okay!? We catch this guy and I promise I'll buy you all the chocolate you can eat, okay?" sometimes she couldn't believe how big of a dope he was. She gave him a scolding look and a slight knock on the head. "We need to lure him somewhere quieter so he won't get away in the crowd."

"Make it a Roack lobster and we have a deal." He grinned back at her before taking her suggestion seriously. The thin man thought for a moment, then with a raised brow he looked back at Astryd and asked. "Does he know your face?"

"Well, maybe. I know the faces of all the White Tiger syndicate members…except the elders. If I was taught to know theirs, I don't know why they wouldn't know mine…" She hoped he wasn't going for what she thought he was suggesting. Then again, it was Spike. He wasn't exactly known for be safe and cautious. On the contrary, he was almost always in trouble in one form or another. It seemed like trouble followed him wherever he went. Most of it, he brought in on his own.

"Let him see you, lead him out. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I'll have your back."

Astryd looked tentatively out into the marketplace, then shook her head. She simply couldn't do it. That man might kill her, or worse, he might get away and then they would all be in danger. "I can't Spike, if he gets away…." Slender fingers drew around her chin, pulling her face back up to look at him. His eyes were so deep, so calm, so dark. It made her feel funny inside like her heart was beating to a different rhythm. She looked away.

"Don't worry about it. We'll catch him."

With a sigh Astryd nodded, agreeing to be the bait. Spike hoped he wouldn't fail her. The White Tigers would come looking for them if they failed and Astryd might get hurt. All the more reason to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible right? He grinned to himself and Astryd stepped out of the nook and onto the walkway again and made her way closer to the man. She maneuvered herself to where he could easily see her, but she didn't look at him straight on. The less he suspected the better. He may not follow her if he thought something was up. If even one thing went wrong, he would simply fade into the shadows and alert his superiors and let them make the decision on how to handle this situation. If that happened, it meant back up, guns, and innocent lives lost.

It all came down to this. They had caught a handful of White Tiger members since Astryd had joined them and frankly Spike was surprised that the syndicate hadn't caught on yet. Time would only tell.

**Part Two**

Red in Bloom

The man watched her carefully as she made her way between people, looking at a few items along the way, and even buying a small stone bird figurine. Seemed normal, natural even. Of course he knew who she was. Astryd Jackel, daughter of the Black Jackal crime syndicate leader. She would be quite a catch if he could manage to get her. The elders would be very pleased with him if he brought in the daughter of a rival syndicate lord.

A smile crossed his face, dark and menacing, then he followed her, stepping carefully between shoppers. Trying his best to stay out of sight, he had no idea he had a shadow. Spike was stalking him, keeping close enough to help, but far enough back to not be suspicious. But Spike wasn't the only man following along. A Black Jackal had taken notice of Astryd too and was moving in quickly.

Astryd turned the corner and made her way down a less crowded area. Her heart was racing, beating loudly in her ears. Every step she took the crowd thinned and she fought more and more the urge to turn around and look for Spike. She could almost swear that she heard footsteps growing closer but she wasn't sure if it was real, or just her paranoia.

Without warning a horse drawn cart cut Spike off from Astryd and her pursuer. He gasped in surprise, trying to get around the cart. He lost sight of her. "Damn." He muttered to himself before the cart moved and he was free to move down the alley once more. Just as he got her in his view again his eyes widened. The man grabbed Astryd from behind. Spike was unsure if she knew how to escape, but she quickly knelt down and tossed the White Tiger over her shoulder. He hit the ground hard and before he could move again, Astryd pummeled him over the head with the butt of her gun, knocking him out cold. Spike sighed and grinned with relief as she cuffed the unconscious man. He thought all was well, which was why he was taken aback when she looked at him and her expression changed from one of triumph, to pure shock, then she stood and took aim at his head.

Two shots were fired and pain ripped through his shoulder. The screams of the crowd were drown out as he hit the ground. Astryd's eyes grew wide as red bloomed across his shirt like a fresh rose. A ringing in his ears grew louder and louder as Astryd approached him, quickly kneeling beside him and rolling him onto his back. Her hands cupped his face gently, he could barely hear her but he could read her lips. She was asking if he was okay. He nodded, and she ran off. It didn't take long to figure out what she was doing. After a moment she came back into his line of sight, dragging a cuffed man with a bloody thigh. Her face was strained, he was obviously too heavy for her to carry on her own.

As the ringing in his ears subsided, he stood, gripping his wounded shoulder. Dammit this happened too much. Picking himself up he grabbed the injured man and hauled him to his feet. "You bastard, you shot me. You can walk your sorry ass to the ship, or I'll kill you here and now." He growled and shoved the man forward before dragging the unconscious man toward their space craft.

Astryd hadn't spoken to him the whole ride back, and now they sat in silence in the common room. Jet had gone to take the prisoners in for their bounties and Edward had been promptly kicked out of the room by Spike the moment he plopped down on the couch. He simply didn't care about being bothered by her energetic rants.

Without a word, Astryd approached Spike, with caution as if he was a wild animal. She wasn't really sure how he would react to being cared for and the anger he showed to the man in the market place made her wary of being yelled at. Besides, he still looked very pissed off and she wasn't willing to bear the brunt of that anger.

The medical box made a faint clunk as she placed it on the table started removing his shirt for her to bandage him, she sat next to him on the couch. The wound still trickled a little blood but luckily the bullet wasn't lodged inside. He had done alright to fill the wound with CryoSkin but that would only stop the bleeding for so long. He needed stitches.

Time seemed to pass slowly as Astryd stitched up the injured shoulder, front and back. Working carefully, she sealed up the stitching on his back, letting her fingers trace over the scars of other bullet wounds long healed. She thought about him and his life, the hardships he must have been through. The Red Dragon syndicate was his life, and she knew the stories. Word of the infamous Spike Spiegel spread like wild fire through all of the syndicates. She knew nothing of his life after he left the syndicate, most assumed him dead. He was only known for his syndicate life. But from all of the stories, she never imagined he would be like this. Scarred, broken, and mysterious, but goofy, lazy, and even sweet sometimes. He was simply strange.

Spike's anger dissipated, as she stitched him up. Pain would do that for you. Tiny bumps rose on his skin as she traced her fingers lightly over his old scars. His eyes closed for a moment as he enjoyed the sensation. For a moment he thought about whether or not he should stop her. But it felt good. Besides, Julia had never admired his body like this before. His eyes cracked open a little, then he smiled. "You keep spoiling me like this I may have to make habit out of being shot." He grinned to her, only to be met with a playful punch to the unwounded shoulder.

"Shut up Spike. You look like you already have that habit." She said with a smile, poking his old scars lightly. With a good natured shake of her head, she stood to retire to her room. "Good night then." When she got back into her room, she stood there, looking out the window into space, and feeling the tingling in her fingertips from the heat of his skin. Touching the fingers to her lips, she lay down and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, he Spike sat in silence on the couch, taking long slow drags from his cigarette and grasping to the fading sensation on his skin. This was not ending how he thought it would.

**Part Three**

Last Straw

Nothing could stay hidden for long. Almost all of the lowest level White Tigers had been arrested and with that much heat on one syndicate, it was hard finding replacements. Sure, there are many criminals in the solar system, but the White Tigers couldn't get recruits of they paid them big bucks. No one wants to get caught and the syndicate was on its way to ruin.

The same messenger stood before the Elders, this time, it was more than a fast heart rate. He was nearly shaking in his shoes, twisting an old gum wrapped between his fingers. There was little else he could do. The shadowed faces above him didn't need to be seen. He could feel their glaring gazes, all of them wanting nothing more than to kill him, just to get some stress out.

"Sirs, we…we know who has been apprehending the lower members of the Syndicate." He put the gum wrapper back into his packet, then pulled a file out of a black leather case. Passing it on to a large guard with black sunglasses, the messenger back away a step. He waited until the guard handed the file to the Elders before he spoke again. "All of them have been turned in by an ex ISSP member. Jet Black. But we suspect that he hasn't actually caught any of them on his own. An informant in the marketplace told us there was a younger man and a girl…a Black Jackel." He swallowed hard, watching the papers pass between the faceless shadows. "With further investigation, we discovered the identities of the true captors. Astryd Jackel and Spike Spiegel."

That got their attention. The papers paused and he could almost feel the curiosity, and the rage. The daughter of a rival syndicate, and an old syndicate pro. This became personal now. Not so much on Spike's case, seeing as the Red Dragon syndicate was wiped out now. No, this was White Tigers and Black Jackels all the way now. "Spike Spiegel is dead. He's been dead for a long time." One of the shadows spoke, hints of irritation in his voice. "I think your research is off."

"No disrespect Elder Tae, but….there are surveillance pictures of them. Near the bottom of the file." He bowed his head respectfully as they flipped through the pages and pulled out a slightly grainy picture of a thin man in a blue suit, and a dark haired girl almost hiding behind him. It was grainy, but not bad enough for them to be unrecognizable.

"So the Black Jackles want a war do they?" An Elder growled, clutching a piece of paper tightly in his fist. "if that's what they want, that's what we will give them." Before he got much farther, another Elder held a hand up for silence, then he spoke.

"Elder Kye, please, we must think on this. Astryd Jackel has been missing for a long time now, her bounty rising after every month. She is worth millions of woolong by now. So why hasn't this, Spike Spiegel, turned her in for the bounty? There must be something else there beyond bounty hunting companions." He glanced at the photo once more. "Find her. Find Astryd jackel and bring her here. We will have our revenge before turning her into the police." He grinned wickedly. "We could use all of that money from the Jackles to help the Tigers rise once more. Insult to injury and all that."

A faint chuckle rose form the other Elders and the messenger relaxed. Better this girl take the punishment than him. He simply bowed at his new orders, and took his leave. Time to put their plan in motion.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Part One**

No Deal on the White Dove

A sharp buzzing of the ship's computer woke Spike from his restless slumber. A magazine rested on his face, he pulled it down below eye level. He glared dangerously at the computer, then reached over from the couch and pressed a button. The screen flickered to life just as Jet walked in and plopped himself on the chair.

"Huh? What's going on Spike?" he was confused. They usually didn't get direct messages on the bebop so this one was highly unusual. Once the shadowed face appeared on the screen, his face turned stony. "Who are you?" he growled at the back side of the screen, knowing the man couldn't see him, but his question was sure to be picked up by the microphone.

"I am Elder Tae, of the White Tiger Syndicate. We know you are the ones that have been apprehending our syndicate members. We promise to leave you in peace if…."he paused for a moment, grinning. Spike sat up on the couch and Jet had joined him there. Both men watched the screen with mixed emotions. "If you hand over the girl, we will have no further quarrel with you. We'll even give you a portion of her bounty."

"I'm sorry, but that's not an offer we're willing to take." Jet's eyes glistened with anger but he didn't raise his voice. The old cop's face was straight, unflinching. Elder Tae's grin faded, his own eyes flashing back at them.

"If you don't give us the girl, we'll come after her ourselves. There's no need for you to get involved in this. This is between us, and her."

Now it was Spike's turn to speak. "Sorry, no deal." He reached forward and clicked the computer off. All was silent for a moment. "We can't let her know about this." Jet nodded his agreement. Without another word, Jet stood and made his way back to the kitchen. He needed something to do, and cooking breakfast would be a good way to just think about things. Besides, since Astryd came, he hadn't had to cook hardly anything. It would feel good to do it again.

Spike lit up a cigarette, his eyes closed, breathing steady. What now? They would come after her. Here he was, taken in by the syndicates again. The Red Dragons were all gone, all because of him. Just when he thought his old life was over, it looped around again. This time there was no Julia, no Faye. He wasn't in blinders over a deadly blonde femme, or fighting to protect a yellow clad pain in the ass and an old washed up cop. No. this was different, and yet all the same. He was treating Astryd how he should have treated Faye. Protecting her soley, since the syndicate obviously didn't want him and Jet. He just hoped she wouldn't end up like… "Julia…" The name was a whisper on his lips.

"What was that Spike?" A soft voice broke through his thoughts. His eyes opened and he forced a grin. That grin disappeared when he looked at her, replaced by one of amused shock. It was rare for him to be awake before her. Usually she got up before them all, made breakfast, got dressed, then woke them all to eat. This morning she hadn't expected anyone to be awake, so there she stood in what she slept in.

Spike's eyes trailed from her bare feet, up her long, well shaped legs to the too short shorts, up past her men's white button up shirt, to her face, perfectly framed with black locks of hair. He took careful notice of the black tribal tattoo that wound from her inner thigh up her leg, then hiding behind those black shorts. For a moment his cigarette went forgotten, ashes dropping to the floor. Once he realized he was staring, his eyes softened and he grinned. "Nothing." Before she could walk to the kitchen, Spike spoke out. "Jet's making breakfast. Looks like you get the morning off." He stood, wanting to be anywhere but here. He made his way to the door.

"Spike? Where are you going?" Those words stopped him in his tracks. It took him back to a different time. His eyes glanced up to view the bullet holes that still riddled the ceiling. Good thing Astryd wouldn't shoot at him to get him to stay. No…she seemed like she would do the opposite. She would probably run up to him, pull him back, tell him what Faye should have said…Shit. He chuckled to himself. What the hell was he thinking about? Faye was gone now, moved on with her own life. He was a fool to think she would have waited forever.

"Well, I was going to tell you to get dressed and meet me in the hanger but…" he looked over his shoulder, smiling mischievously, cigarette hanging from his lips. "I think I like that get up better."

"Pervert." She laughed to herself, blushing gently and waving him off before turning to retreat to her room to get dressed.

A little while later, they were in the air, the Stingray following the Swordfish II closely. They even made a game out of it, Spike would move, she would copy. He dipped, dove, swirled, spun, and rolled, she followed with joy, pleased to just be doing something with him. It hardly seemed to matter where they were going, he knew she would follow him anywhere. That may be her undoing. He glanced back over his shoulder to the Stingray. He may be playing a game, but his mind was serious. He had to know her fate. So he was taking her to the only place he knew that would give him the answers he needed. Laughing Bull.

Once they touched down and he helped her from her starship, they made their way to the junk filled teepee. "Swimming bird. You have questions." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Laughing Bull's voice was the same as always, monotone and calm. "Yeah Laughing Bull, I've got a question for ya." Spike grinned. He always knew when Spike needed something, before he needed it. "First the girl." Laughing Bull spoke, and Spike's looked turned to one of curiosity. Why would he want to see her? Either way, he ducked out and went to sit by the water.

Inside the teepee, Astryd took a seat on the floor, crossing her legs and hanging her wrists over her knees. She didn't speak. She just watched the sand trickle down between his fingers to neat piles on the floor. His ancient eyes slowly opened, but just barely.

"White Dove." He spoke at last, giving her a name. "Your fate with Swimming Bird will be one of healing. The stars have not been kind to Swimming Bird, but they will smile on him soon. Your fate, will change his fate, and the fates of many others. Take this knowledge and make it wisdom."

Astryd nodded, slightly confused, but it was something she could think on later. "Thank you Laughing Bull." She bowed her head and he nodded to dismiss her. She rose to her feet and opened the teepee flap, looking over her shoulder one last time to look at the old man. Once outside she spoke to Spike, "Your turn Swimming Bird." Astryd grinned and punched his shoulder playfully. Spike forced a smile, but he was nervous at the answers he might be given.

Spike entered the teepee and sat quietly in front of laughing Bull, waiting on him to speak. After a few moments he was becoming even more nervous, but he remained silent. He didn't want Laughing Bull to be distracted.

"Swimming Bird has come with a question. He questions the fate of White Dove." Spike's eye brow lifted in slight amusement. White Dove huh? Birds of a feather… "Her star will fall Swimming Bird. But first, she will heal your heart and point you in the direction you need to go." Spike's teeth clenched. Her star would fall.

That was all he could think about. Her star would fall.

**Part Two**

Bloody Hands

"Astryd person and Spike person are back!" Edward zoomed about the hanger, arms outstretched, tipping this way and that with Ein following, barking loudly. Spike didn't even bother telling her to go away, or telling Ein to shut up. Astryd looked at Spike, worried and confused. On their way to see Laughing Bull he was playing games, but the way back, he was quiet and still. She wondered what Laughing Bull had said to him that made him like this.

"Hey Spike, what's up?" Jet called down from the Hammerhead wing, wrench in hand and grease on his cheek. Spike didn't answer, he just ambled off toward the door, hands shoved deep in his pockets, cigarette pinched between his lips.

"Spike person is sad about the Tiger men." Edward rolled onto the floor with a laugh, growling at Ein as he pounced and bark around her. Spike stopped in the doorway, clenching the cigarette in his teeth. Damn Edward! She must have noticed a message and checked it out. He let his hands drop out of his pockets.

"Wait, what tiger men? Is she talking about the White Tigers?" Astryd turned her attention from Edward, to Spike's back, to Jet. Jet's hand was firmly placed on his forehead, a growl on his lips. He seemed aggravated.

"Tiger man sent a scary message to Bebop Bebop!" Edward curled her fingers like claws, Ein yipped and ran off, Edward following closely. All was silent in the hanger, Edward's laughter echoed from the hallway until it disappeared completely.

"Spike?" Astryd looked at him, noticing his clenched fists. He didn't answer. "Jet?" She turned to him, needing answers. The balding man looked down at her sympathetically, then to Spike. Watching the dark haired man, he spoke. "Spike and I received a message earlier this morning. From a White Tiger Elder. They want you for the bounty but we told them we wouldn't turn you in."

Astryd took a step back, then turned to Stingray. She could feel the cool metal against her fingertips and for a moment she would have given anything to go back to that night she felt the warmth of Spike's skin there instead. But that couldn't happen. Not anymore. She had put them all in danger. She had put Spike in danger. Pulling herself up onto the wing, she felt a hand on her ankle. Looking over her shoulder, she found herself looking down into deep brown eyes.

Spike had a firm grip on her, his face calm and stern. "You're not going anywhere."

"But me being here is putting you all in danger."

"They won't attack us Astryd." Jet spoke up, a little taken aback that Spike would stop her. For a long time he watched Spike and Faye, caring so much for each other, but never doing anything about it. Spike never stopped Faye from leaving. Maybe he was finally learning that you can't just let things go and hope they would turn out the way you wanted. Some things in this life, you have to work for. "Their numbers have grown too small. They're too weak to come after us personally. I've been taking in their members every time you and Spike have caught them. All of those bounties are under my name. If Spike and I mysteriously disappear, the ISSP will know who did it and the White Tigers will be shut down so fast it'll make their heads spin. They don't want that."

Astryd still wasn't sure. She turned her head away, both hands firmly planted on the wing of the starship. The shiny black metal reflected her face. Before she could say another word, she was yanked hard from the wing. Once her feet hit the floor she had a hard time keeping her balance, tumbling back into Spike's chest. He caught her under the arms, and she looked up at him. His eyes softened, but he didn't speak. He just set her up straight and walked away.

Later that night Astryd tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't sleep knowing that Spike, Jet, Ed, and Ein were in danger. She should have just let them turn her in for the bounty a long time ago. But back then, she was selfish. All she could think about was her own freedom. Never in a million years would she have thought she would fall for the tall, goofy, Spike Spiegel.

Dual colored eyes narrowed as she rolled onto her side, pressing her face into the mattress. She had to sleep. If she didn't, Spike and Jet would know and that would just make things worse. The subject of the White Tigers was something she didn't feel like talking to them about. They were in too deep now. They had two choices. One, was let it go. Stop hunting White Tigers and let the syndicate alone. But that would cause their numbers to rise again and they really would be in big trouble. If their numbers flourished again, they would come after them with power. Two, was to capture them all while they were weak. This was the better option. With the White Tigers all in jail, they could rest in peace for a little while. She was too afraid to rest. In her hand a sheathed knife lay heavy on her palm. She would be ready for anything. Jet had assured her that the ship was safe, but paranoia was a killer. It invaded ones life. Invaded ones rest.

Rest. That's exactly what Astryd needed. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. As she felt herself drifting off, she heard something in the hallway. At first she didn't react, she just lay there listening. Then she heard a male voice not far from her door. Cracking an eyelid open, she watched the door in curiosity. Was it Spike? No, it sounded like there was more than one person. Was Jet with him? The footsteps stopped outside her door and a simple envelope slid in the crack under the door. Then the footsteps continued on until she couldn't hear them anymore.

With confusion, she raised herself up on an elbow, staring at the note through the darkness. The knife lay forgotten on the bed as she crawled onto the floor and picked up the letter. Crossing her legs, she flipped it over in her hands. Her name was scrawled across the front in sloppy red ink. It was still wet, as she found when her fingers touched it and the letters smeared. How odd. Her brow furrowed as she rubbed her fingers together. It felt strange. She swallowed her fear and opened it. It simply said, 'Sweet Dreams'. A red wax seal marked the bottom of the paper. The seal of the White Tigers. Astryd swallowed hard and stood up.

Heart beating furiously in her chest, she reached for the side panel on the wall and with a beep the door slid open. The hall was dark, lit only by pale blue lights near the floor. It was dead silent as she stepped out into the hall, her hand touching the metal outside of the door. It felt weird. Pulling her hand back, her eyes widened in horror. Thick, fresh blood coated her hand, oozing down her wrist. She shook it off, then wiped her hand on her shorts, but the blood didn't come all the way off. Where had it come from?

Her mind flew to Spike. What if they had….killed him. Her eyes closed tight at the thought, but it didn't help. When her eyes closed, she saw his eyes looking back at her as he had earlier that day. Deep, dark, and soft. She had to find him.

Bare feet tread silently against the cold floor, she made her way slowly down the hall toward the common room. "Spike? Jet?" Her voice trembled as she called for the men. "Edward? Hello? Is anyone there?" No answer. She stepped around the corner into the common room and immediately looked away, shutting her eyes tight. With a deep breath she looked back, tears brimming her eyes and hands covering her mouth.

A deep trembling breath filled her lungs, her eyes turning back to the bloody scene in the common room. Jet was sitting in the chair, arms bound behind his back and a thick bloody burlap sack over his head. A bullet hole in the sack told her the cause of death. All she could see of Edward was skinny legs streaked with blood sticking out from behind the couch. The only mercy she found here was that she couldn't see their faces. Spike wasn't here.

Astryd took a few steps back, then looked down the hallway toward Spike's room. She realized that the door was trying to close, but was being stopped by something. Over and over the door slid, clunked, then opened. "Spike?" She called quietly, terrified of what lay beyond. Nearing the door she noticed the thing stopping the door was Spike's ankle, his bare foot sticking out into the hallway.

It seemed she was no longer in control of her own body. She wanted to stop, to turn around and run, but her feet kept moving. Before she knew it was she standing in his doorway, looking down at his body. He was wearing some dark grey sweat pants, his hands bound behind his back. A rag was tied around his face, gagging him. His eyes stared at her, glassy and unmoving. Looking through her. Blood pooled on the floor from his slit throat, thick and red. She now knew what the letter had been written with. Whose blood had been smeared outside her door.

"Spike!" she cried, kneeling beside him. She pulled the gag from his mouth, the corners of his lips and cheeks bruised from the cloth. Resting her head on his chest, she closed her eyes and wept, his skin cold under her cheek. This was all her fault. He would still be alive if she would have let them turn her in. She would give anything to feel his warmth again. "Oh, Spike, I'm so sorry."

Suddenly, there were hands grabbing her from behind, pulling her away from Spike's body. "Let me go!" She kicked and screamed, trying her best to get away from whomever was grabbing at her.

"Astryd! Astryd wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open, to find her face pressed against the floor. Her breathing was hard and uneven, her heart was pounding hard in her chest. Tears streaked her face, making her eyes red and puffy. One thing was still the same. Hands were still grasping her tightly, holding one of her arms firmly to her side. She turned her head, her gaze meeting Spike's. She could barely make out his face against the window behind him. Stars twinkling outside went unnoticed.

Her body relaxed, slumping onto the floor. "Spike, it's just you." Her fingers rubbed her eyes, pushing the dream away. He was alive and well, that made everything better. Except the fear. What if that had really happened?

"Who did you expect, the Easter Bunny?" His arms released her and he sat back against the bed. He pulled a knee up and rested his arm over it. It was time to say something. This was the second time he had interrupted her dreams, and both times she had said his name. Both times in fear. "What did you dream about?" His deep voice filled the empty space between them, all the joking from his previous comment gone.

Astryd sat up, slowly, pushing her hair out of her face. "Nothing really…it was nothing." She didn't want to tell him about her fears. She hated when people acted like her fears were for nothing. It made her feel like some silly child and she most definitely didn't want to feel that way in front of Spike. She stood to her feet, then turned to the door. "You can go back to bed now…I'm fine."

"You called for me." His voice made her stop, her heart almost stopping in her chest. He knew that what he said had struck a chord because her head tilted forward like she was looking at the floor. He could hear her sigh a she began to speak again, but she didn't face him. "I…dreamed the White Tigers came here and…." Her exhale was ragged. Spike's eyes softened a little, his lips parting slightly. "They…and you were…covered in blood…" Her hand went to her face again. Damn, she really did care about him didn't she?

"Do you want me to stay here?" Astryd turned now, she looked at him with those emerald and sapphire eyes and he knew her answer. Scooting himself up to the bed he patted the mattress. "Come on." She crawled in between him and the wall, her back to him because facing him would be too hard. It was comforting enough that he was here and that comfort helped her relax.

But then she felt his fingers running along the edges of the scars that showed from around her racer back tank top. The bed compressed as Spike leaned up on his elbow. "What are these?" He unceremoniously lifted the back of her shirt, eyeing the scars with surprised disgust. Astryd didn't move. In a way, it would feel good to let someone else know.

"Scars. Punishment for speaking against the Black Jackels." Her fingers traced figures on the wall as she spoke. "I wanted out. I wanted to be free. You were right about the Jackels Spike. They do torture. But I got it easy. Being the leader's daughter and all."

"They…whipped you?" He felt the scars, slightly raised and pale in the moonlight. This was going easy with her punishment. He hated to think about what the capital punishment was. He could hardly imagine the small body of Astryd, subjected to that kind of beating. Shit, he didn't want to think about it.

**Part Three**

The Jackel's Tale

By this time, he realized she had a hold of him. He swore to himself after Julia that no woman would have a hold on him like that again. That was almost true. He felt strongly for Faye. But not quite like Julia. More than Julia, just in different ways. Just like Astryd had him now.

Astryd rolled over onto her back, wanting to change the subject a little. The Black Jackels and their unique punishment techniques was the last thing she wanted to think about right now. It was bound to come up though. Now that he had seen the scars, he was sure to ask questions. She would just have to make sure she asked first.

"So, Spike." She picked at her nails as she spoke, as if her question was just going to be common conversation. "Who's Julia?"

Spike was taken aback by her question. He didn't remember mentioning Julia since he had returned to the Bebop. Edward didn't know enough about the subject to run her mouth on it and Jet had no reason to bring her up. "How do you know about Julia?" His voice was pushed to sound calm but Astryd caught a slight edge of confusion in the deep tones.

"You say her name in your sleep sometimes. When you're passed out drunk on the couch." Her slender shoulders shrugged. Still she refused to look at him directly, instead focusing on picking an imaginary hang nail from her finger.

"How about this. You answer my questions, and I'll answer yours." This had worked on Jet a long time ago when the ex cop asked Spike about his ties with Mao. Something in his gut told him that it wouldn't work with Astryd.

It wasn't a big deal though. He would tell her almost anything she wanted to know. He liked her, trusted her even. It had been several months since she had joined them here on the Bebop but he felt like he had known her much longer. Maybe it was their shared past. They were both ex syndicate members, both running from their pasts. The only difference was, Spike's past was long gone, with all traces erased for the solar system. Not even Julia remained.

Astryd shrugged again, rolling toward him and onto her elbow, propping her head up to look at him. "Okay Spike. What do you want to know?" Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness he could see something in her eyes as they reflected the moonlight. The pain he saw in his own eyes every day. They were kindred souls, he and she. That kind of hollow pain that lay behind their eyes was a different kind of hurt, and they both shared it. It wasn't noticeable to most people, but he could see it in her and for a moment, he wondered if she could see it in his eyes too.

"Tell me about the Black Jackels. About your life before the Bebop." If something came up one day and he had to fight her syndicate, he needed to know something about them. Shit, he could tell himself that all day long and it wouldn't change anything. If he had to go against them, it wouldn't matter how they operated, he would still do the same thing. Rush in and kill them all. Planning wasn't really his thing after all. The question was of more a personal curiosity. He wanted to know more about her.

"Not much to say really." Her fingers picked at something on the blanket. Her eyes seemed to fade away into a memory as he watched her. "I'm the younger of a set of twins. His name is Orion. Being the only heirs to take over the syndicate, my father had to choose which of us would be the main leader. Of course he chose Orion. My twin is cruel and ruthless. I just wanted to be free. Even though I'm not of any use to my father, freedom is not an option. So Orion will someday run the syndicate and my father will join the counsel. You see, there's one leader and four elders. Each elder deals with a certain area of business in the syndicate. When the current leader gets too old to run the syndicate, he steps down and becomes an elder, taking the place of the oldest member. It will be my father's job to take over the training aspect when he finally steps down."

"So that's why you can kick ass." Spike grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

Astryd chuckled slightly. "Something like that. I've not done much else but train my whole life. There's a training facility on the compound I grew up on. The only time I ever left the compound was a few times a year when I was required to prove my worth against other trainees. Kind of a boring life really." Glad to leave the conversation behind, she leaned in a little closer, eyes locked on him now. It was her turn.

"So tell me. Who was Julia? Was she the woman on this ship?"

Spike sighed. "No. She wasn't ever on this ship. She…" he exhaled and lay on his back, watching the stars twinkling overhead as he let his own mind slip into a bygone era. "She was a woman I used to know. From the Red Dragons. Julia." He whispered her name like a prayer. Shit, he needed all the prayer he could get just to talk about her. "She was a real woman. Beautiful and deadly. With golden hair, and ruby lips. Ah, those lips. She had lips you could just get lost in." His eyes closed and he grinned a little. Somehow, talking about her like this made it easier and deep down, he knew it was okay to talk about her. Astryd cared for him, he knew that, but something about her told him she would be more understanding than jealous.

"So you love her?" Astryd asked, a twinkle in her eye. Typical woman, Spike thought. Lost in the daydream of romance. He nodded a little.

"Yeah, I loved her."

"Loved? Where is she now?"

"She…she died." His eyes were drawn back up to the sky. He didn't like looking at people when he said that. The pity in their eyes always made it hurt that much more. "Gunned down by the Red Dragons."

"Where you with her?" Astryd's brow furrowed as she spoke. He nodded again. "She died in my arms. There was nothing I could do." His voice sounded hollow and Astryd wished she had the courage to reach out and touch him. They were only inches away from contact, but she simply couldn't work up the nerve.

"I'm sorry Spike. Really." Spike knew she meant it. Their eyes didn't have to meet, the hurt was there in her voice and his chest felt heavy again. The silence between them seemed to last an eternity and Astryd knew she had to do something to break it.

"If she was never on this ship, then whose chocolate have I been eating?" A crooked smile and a little jab to his ribs broke the day dream. Julia was gone and his only regret was that he didn't care as much about her as he thought he did. If only he had broken down and admitted to himself a long time ago that his love had faded, she might still be alive and Faye would still be here too.

"Haha, that would be Faye's chocolate." His arms crossed under his head. "She would be pissed if she was here. Probably try to kick your ass."

Astryd shot him a look of, 'Haven't you seen how I fight?', her eyebrow raised. "Alright, alright I get it. It would be an interesting fight." He couldn't help but smile. This girl had that effect on him. Julia always made his heart feel like singing the blues, Faye made him feel angry and confused, Astryd made him smile. For the first time in a long time, his chest felt lighter.

"Do you love her too?" She could almost find this amusing. Spike was so hard on the outside, and seeing how he was with Jet, he seemed hard to get to. Yet he loved so much, and it was easy for him to talk to her. Maybe the others were just not going about it right.

Julia was beautiful, as Spike said, but she was also a syndicate woman. A real syndicate woman. Astryd was ex syndicate, but she never joined. She was simply born into it. That made them different. If Julia chose to be syndicate, then she must have had a dark and dangerous side to her. Then there was Faye, whom he was sure would try and fight Astryd over something as simple as sweets. If that were true, maybe she was just too harsh to listen.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Spike had to think about it. About the purple haired woman with the sexy vinyl shorts. He shook his head a little in humor. Damn, Faye had a bad attitude, but there was still something about her.

"What was she like? You said Julia was beautiful and dangerous, what about Faye?"

"Faye was…" He paused for a second. That Faye. "Faye was crass and rude. She was a spit fire thief with a gambling problem and a thing for dressing sexy. Liked the attention I guess. Not much choice though. She has cryogenically frozen for fifty years, then thrown into our time with no memory. I guess she just kinda made herself like that. You know, a defense mechanism."

"And you loved her anyway? Doesn't sound like there's much to love. Where is she now?" Astryd giggled, thinking about this spit fire girl giving Spike a hard time. "I'm guessing you never told her how you felt, or she would be here now instead of me."

"Well, I left for a long time after I was assumed dead. I thought she would still be here when I got back but…" he took a deep breath. "she's moved on now. Got a new job and a new guy."

"You have back luck in love Spike." She closed her eyes, thinking about what these woman must have looked like. They both must have been gorgeous to get Spike's attention. Not that she thought he was shallow or anything, but to her, Spike was too good to be true. It just seemed that the woman he would be attracted to would be the same way.

She was right. He did have terrible luck in love. Julia died in his arms, Faye ran off with another man, and now Astryd. He wasn't sure if he loved her yet or not, but there was something there and she was going to die too. The question now was, will he push her away so that her death would pass like a dream, or would he take his chances to find out how he feels about her? It would be easier to push her away. But then he would have regrets. He lived with regrets about Faye every day. Hell, take a chance Spike ol' boy.

So he did. While her eyes were still closed, he leaned up on his elbow, and without giving himself time to change his mind, he hooked his fingers around the back of her neck, his palm falling on her cheek he pulled her face up to meet his. When their lips met, her eyes snapped open. What was he doing? Her eyes closed again as she rolled onto her back. He parted from her, looking down to be met with surprised eyes. "Spike?" His hand released her neck, then brushed a silky black lock of hair from her face. She could feel red heat rising in her cheeks.

"Shh." He whispered, brushing his lips against hers once more. His warmth drew her in and this time, she let it happen. With the taste of his kiss, she slipped into oblivion.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Part One**

White Tiger's Clutches

Weeks passed and the hype had calmed down. They hadn't been contacted by members of the White Tigers since the initial message. Astryd was relaxing again and the ship had returned to normal. Jet had even scheduled a little vacation for them. They would travel to Mars and stay for a week.

It would be some well deserved down time for the team and Astryd was looking forward to it. Jet was clearing them for landing, Spike was sleeping on the couch, and Edward was chasing Ein around with Tomato perched on top of her unruly orange hair.

Astryd joined them in the common room, plopping her bag down on the floor next to the couch. "Spike! Get up we're almost to mars." She was obviously excited about the trip. Maybe too excited for Spike. He opened an eye and rolled over to face the back of the couch. All she could hear was him grumbling something.

Rolling her eyes, she leaned over the back of the couch, getting close to his face. The scent of cigarettes and cologne made her smile. "Spike….come on. Get up lazy!" Through cracked lids he looked at her, the sighed.

"Okay okay." He grumbled and stood up. When she came from behind the couch, he looked her up and down with interest. Her hair was down today, falling back over her shoulders. Instead of her normal black halter top, she wore a black button up t shirt, unbuttoned just enough to keep some interest, and some dark low rise jeans. With an eyebrow raised slightly he pulled a broken cigarette from his pocket.

"Come on ya pervert. Let's fly ahead." Without waiting for a response she took off for the hanger.

Spike lit the cigarette and shook his head. Damn, she was excitable. Slowly he followed, hands shoved in his pockets. When he reached the hanger, she was ready for flight. He pulled himself up into the cockpit of the Swordfish II and prepared himself. Her face showed up on his screen. "Race ya." She smiled, then disappeared.

Before he could respond, the Stingray shot out of the hanger, barrel rolling to the right, then diving out of his view. For someone who was self taught, she wasn't a half bad pilot. Spike grinned and followed her.

Once he dove from the edge of the bebop, he saw her, far below, shooting out through space, the Red Planet slowly turning in the back ground. He was closing in on her quickly, copying her with every barrel roll and nose dive before he took the lead and showed her up on some moves she didn't know how to do.

After a while Spike connected with her. "Hey, I'm hungry. Let's get back to the Bebop."

Astryd shook her head a laughed. "Spike, you're always hungry. Okay, go ahead, I have to fuel up first."

For a moment Spike thought about telling her he would go too, but it passed quickly. Doing something like that would just make her nervous and jumpy again. Let her enjoy their off time without fighting paranoia. "Sure." They disconnected and out to her left, he rolled away and then up, making a bee line for the Bebop. She in turn rolled to the right, and down, making her way to a nearest fueling station.

As she refueled the Stingray she whistled to herself, thinking about Spike. Her thoughts seemed to drift to him more and more since the night he stayed with her. She was glad he was such a gentleman that night. He didn't even push her toward anything, and it didn't go anywhere. But it did make them closer, to some degree anyway. She sighed at the thought, leaning against the cool metal of her space craft. Finally, she had someone she could trust. Someone she could call a friend. Maybe something more someday. Maybe.

She didn't even hear the footsteps approaching her, then she was grabbed from behind and whirled around, gagged she slammed into the side of Stingray. She drew her elbow up, making a hard blow to her assailants face. Before she could reposition for her next attack, she was grabbed around the throat and tossed to the ground, the heart shaped pendant breaking loose from her neck and skittering across the broken asphalt. Her hands were drawn quickly behind her back with crushing force, and bound tightly.

Her lips parted to yell, but a boot came down heavily on her cheek, forcing her face into the pavement. Within moments her screams were muffled by the gag, but it irritated the male captors that were leading her toward a shiny silver starship. Kicking her hardest only pissed them off more. Something hard hit the back of her head. The last thing she saw was the open storage container before blackness over took her.

Only moments later Faye emerged from the fueling station, a paper bag in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Her green eyes scanned the front page as she walked, right past the starship where the unconscious Astryd lay bound and gagged in a storage compartment.

The violet haired woman only stopped when she felt something hit the toe of her shoe and slide across the asphalt. "Huh?" Her gaze turned to the ground, a beautiful heart-shaped necklace lay a few feet away. She knelt down and picked it up, turning it over in her palm. The bronze wings were barely scratched and she was sure the red gem in the middle was worth a fortune.

Faye shook her head, hand clamping around the pendant. She had moved on from that lifestyle. But then…she looked around. There was no one in sight. No one to miss it. Faye stood and smiled, fixing the clasp of the necklace and putting it on. It was a little heavy but too pretty to pass up. She smiled and continued on her way. What a nice way to start the work day. Maybe today would be a lucky day after all.

**Part Two**

Old Indian Tracking

"Spike!" Jet yelled from the kitchen. "Spike, get up!" he leaned out the door, growling at the man sleeping on the couch. Spike didn't move. "Lazy ass." Jet stepped back into the kitchen and retrieved a metal spatula. Stepping back out he threw it hard at Spike, bouncing it off of the sleeping man's back.

"Dammit Jet. What the hell?" Spike sat up, growling and rubbing the spot on his back that the spatula was sure to leave a bruise on. He swung his legs off of the couch, pulling a broken cigarette from his jacket pocket. Damn. He must have squished them while he was sleeping. Lighting up, he leaned forward and turned on the tv. Big Shots had already started. "

"Hey, where's Astryd?" Jet questioned Spike as he walked in to the common room, placing their plates on the table, sliding Spike's over to him. "We've been on Mars for hours and I haven't seen her since you two left this morning."

"What?" Spike looked confused, the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. Jet even caught a slight air or panic in his voice as he spoke. "She never came back?" Without waiting for a response, Spike leapt to his feet, the cigarette falling forgotten on the floor. Jet stood quickly, calling after Spike.

"Hey, where are you going? Spike!"

The hanger door opened as Spike was preparing for take off. His fingerless gloves lay undisturbed in their normal location. He was in too much of a hurry to even put them on. Teeth grinding together in worry, brow furrowed in anger. Why did he leave her alone? He should have stayed with her.

Swordfish whizzed out of the hanger bay, taking flight so quickly Jet didn't even have time to catch up with Spike. So instead Jet ran to the navigation room, switching on the Bebop's com system. The screen lit up, Spike's face was taunt and angry but Jet knew it was just concern. In truth, he was worried too. All this crap that had been going on lately, there was no telling where she might be. The White Tigers, the Black Jackels, she could have been captured by either. Or she could just simply be lost. Growing up on Europa, Jet was sure she knew little to nothing about getting around on Mars.

"Spike, how do you plan on finding her? She could be anywhere."

"Old Indian tracking method Jet. I put a tracking device on that necklace she always wears. Activate the signal from the Bebop and give me the coordinates." Spike's comment may have been comedic, but his face and tone held no sign of joking. Silence filled the cockpit when Jet disappeared from the screen. Spike aimed the Swordfish in the same direction he had come from earlier when he split off from Astryd. He wasn't sure where exactly she had disappeared to, but he was sure that she would have stopped off at the nearest fueling station. Maybe someone in that area would have seen something.

After several seconds Jet returned to the com screen. "Spike, I'm sending you the coordinates. Be careful out there. I'll get Ed to check the police databases. Maybe someone turned her in for the bounty." The screen went black for a moment, then a map pulled up with the coordinates for Astryd's necklace.

Spike's confusion only worsened. The coordinates Jet gave him led only a few blocks from the fueling station he was already headed to. He relaxed, but only a little. If she were in trouble, she wouldn't still be so close to the Stingray. But then again, she didn't know anything about Mars and wouldn't have any reason to wander off. Besides, even though everything was calming down between them and the White Tigers, Spike didn't think that she would be brave enough to wander around without him.

The Swordfish touched down at the fueling station and Spike immediately spotted the Stingray. The ship stood alone and as Spike exited his cockpit he could tell that Astryd was not here. Through the windows on the front of the shop he saw that it was as deserted as the lot. Only a store clerk remained, looking bored and reading a magazine.

Spike entered the store, but the clerk didn't even look up. Even as Spike approached the middle aged man, he still didn't make any move to look up. He just ran his index finger under his nose as if scratching his scraggly mustache. "What do you want?" He questioned gruffly.

"I want to know about that black starship out there. Did a girl with long dark hair come in here?"

"No. She fueled up and paid out there but never moved the craft." He set the magazine down now, laying it on the counter and picking up a cigarette. He lit in and leaned back in his bar chair. "I saw her out there but I had another customer so I didn't pay her any more attention. Damn thing's been blocking that pump for hours. Woulda called the police by now but hell, no reason to. No business today." He shrugged as Spike walked out.

Checking the coordinates again his stomach twisted into a knot. Looking closer he realized exactly where he was. And where the signal was airing from. How the hell did he miss it? It was the shop Faye worked at. He sighed. Great. This was bound to get interesting if Astryd managed to meet Faye.

Slowly he walked down the road, trying to figure out how this was going to go. He stopped in front of the shop he had seen her coming out of months ago. A little bakery. Hm, fitting. A bell jingled as he opened the door to the small shop. A few tables scattered around the right side of the space and a long glass topped bar ran along the left side, displaying tons of sweets from cookies, to cakes, to pies. Business seemed slow here too. A young couple were just leaving when Spike stepped into the bright little store. Astryd wasn't here.

Faye came out of the back with a broom in her hand. She must have heard the bell ring and thought it was the couple leaving. When her eyes caught sight of him they grew wide, the broom clattered on the floor. He took a step back, but the again, she was seeing a ghost wasn't she. He forced a crooked grin, but his eyes were full of conflicting emotion. He remembered the white rose, the look on her face before he went off to die, the love that he wanted to share with her…and Astryd. If she wasn't here, then were had she gone? Why had the signal led him here?

"Spike?" She gasped. "What are you….I thought you were dead." Faye's face was changing rapidly. At first she was shocked, now it was anger and sadness. Tears brimmed in her dark emerald eyes and Spike stepped forward. He couldn't stop himself. Only about a foot away from her now and his hands were balled into fists as his sides. He wanted to reach out and touch her, pull her close and tell her that he was alive, explain to her why he left. Tell her that it was to protect her. But he couldn't.

While he was approaching Faye, her eyes turned softer, like they had been that day she had run into him in the hallway of the Bebop. The first and only time he had heard her say she was sorry. Damn he loved it when she looked like that. Feminine and soft. He could tell she wanted to touch him too. But she wouldn't.

"Faye I…"His voiced stopped in his throat, his eyes caught the familiar red glimmer of Astryd's pendant hanging around Faye's neck. "Faye…where did you get that?"

Her expression changed again. Disappointment. Shit, he just couldn't win could he? It was all his own fault though. He loved her, and still he grew closer to Astryd. Why did he do this to himself? Why did he allow himself to be torn all over again?

Faye stepped back, masking her face in anger, just like she used to do. "You're gone for all this time. Two years Spike. Two years I've thought you were dead. Now you show up here and ask me where I got this stupid necklace."

He couldn't speak. What would he say? This was going badly. "Faye, it's important." Was all he could manage to get out of his mouth. The mask was gone. She really was angry now. Her pale hand flew up to the pendant and ripped it from around her neck. Then she threw it down to the floor, where it clattered and slid across the clean white tile and hit the front of his boot. "Faye…" His eyes pleaded with her, but he still couldn't move. What the hell was wrong with him? Faye needed him again, needed him to hold her. To tell her that he would never leave her alone again.

"I found it in the lot of that fueling station down the road. Now leave." Her words were bitter and she turned her back to him, attempting to walk into the employee area. But Spike was too fast. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

She looked at him with anger and sadness, but her heart felt something different. The old spark was kindled once more, but did she want it? When she was with Spike and Jet, they had been nothing but trouble for her. For the first time since she had come out of cryogenic sleep, she was stable. She had a good job that she liked. She had a good man that adored her, even wanted to marry her. Not once since she had started this new life had she been in want for anything. She had never gone without, never been hungry, never been cold. She was paying off her debts and could even say she was relatively happy. Truth, she still loved him. But another truth was, he would never settle down. Live a normal life.

"You need to leave Spike."

"Faye, just listen…"

"I said get out!" she snatched her arms from him and disappeared through the employee door, leaving him alone in the silence of the empty bakery. All he could do was sigh and leave. Standing at the door, ready to pull it open he spoke, "I'm sorry." It was soft, but loud enough for her to hear. Hopefully she would believe him.

Spike returned to the fueling station and questioned the man again, this time asking about the other customers. The clerk recalled that he only had four customers all day. One was Astryd, one was Faye, and two were large men with dark suits. He said that he had overheard them say they were going to Ganymede.

Spike's blood ran cold in his veins. He raced out to the Swordfish, calling Jet on the handheld transmitter. "Jet, get the Bebop ready. I'm coming in with the Stingray on Auto." He climbed into the pilot seat of the Stingray, tapping a few buttons to active the auto pilot, then jumped from the wing of the Stingray, to the wing of the Swordfish and plopped down in the pilot seat. Before the hatch could fully close he was firing up the engines.

The whole time Jet was preparing the ship, as well as yelling obscenities at Spike to get his attention. "Dammit Spike, tell me what the hell is going on?"

"They have her Jet. The White Tigers have her. They were on the way to Ganymede hours ago." Spike's voice was just below a yell when he spoke. His emotions were getting the better of him, but he was too rushed to worry about aesthetics. Screw looking tough, Astryd needed him.

"Ed! Hack into the ISSP database and get me the coordinates for the White Tiger Syndicate on Ganymede!" Spike could hear Jet's muffled command, then the man turned back to speak to Spike. "Look, this isn't good Spike. They've had her for hours, I don't want you to…"The words faded off. Jet wasn't sure how to put what he had to say. Spike was finally breaking through. He wasn't lonely anymore. He was learning from his mistakes and was making the best of things.

"What Jet?" Spike snapped. What Jet said next would resonate to his core.

"Don't get your hopes up. Expect the worst." Then the screen went off. Silence in the cockpit didn't help Spike's nerves. His stomach was turning and he couldn't push the Swordfish and harder. When the Bebop was in sight, he felt one step closer to saving Astryd. But the question was still there, was there anything left of her to save? He simply couldn't let go of the guilt. He should have stayed with her. Next time he would know better.

**Part Three**

Savior

When Astryd woke she was laying on a long black granite table, a single light over head did little to illuminate the room, but did well to blind her.

She blinked several times, her head spinning slightly from being knocked out. "Spike?" She whispered through dry lips. "Spike…" she tried to lift her arms only to have them pinned back to the tabletop by two large dark haired men. The same men that had kidnapped her. They stared down at her through dark sunglasses, their faces drawn but mostly expressionless. "What are you doing? Let me go!" She struggled against their weight in vain, her heart racing with fear. She should have stayed with Spike, what had she been thinking going off on her own?

"Spike can't save you now." A fat, older man leaned over her with a look that sent chills down her spine. He raised a chubby, thick fingered hand to brush a lock of greasy black hair from his face. He chuckled as two more men joined her, both older, both ugly and rotund. One had thick rimmed glasses and his face was marred with acne pock marks. The other was so large he didn't even have a chin anymore.

"What a ripe little peach." The chinless man spoke with a smile, Astryd could practically see him salivating as he traced his finger down the side of her face, then down her throat to the top of her shirt. His touch made her flesh crawl. "Don't count on it. She's probably already been spoiled by that bounty hunter." One of the other men sneered. She knew what they wanted now and fear shook her. She thrashed around, tears streaming into her hair. There was only one chance for her now. "White Tiger!" She yelled, and her blue beaded bracelet blinked dully. It was a locator, designed as a two way com and tracker. She had synced it with the Swordfish in case of emergencies. "Spike! Spike, please, help me!"

The confused looks of the men lasted only a moment before one of them noticed the blinking beads and ripped the bracelet from her wrist, scattering the beads on the floor. Hopefully the Swordfish would have received her coordinates before the transmitter was destroyed. Little did she know that Spike, just a few floors below, was making his way through the syndicate halls, killing everyone he saw.

"We can't allow that to happen again. Gag her." Demanded the man with the greasy hair. His brow was furrowed with irritation as the man with the glasses tied a white rag around Astryd's face, pulling hard at the corners of her mouth. Still she fought back, kicking her legs until another pair of men held them down. "Sedate her." The man who had gagged her disappeared from her line of sight and came back with a syringe.

Astryd felt the needs enter her veins, felt the cold burn of the drugs as they coursed through her veins. Her head started to spin and after a few minutes she could feel herself losing control of her limbs. What kind of sedative was this? She was still able to think, but not clearly, and she could feel everything. She could feel the crushing force of the hands around her wrists and ankles easing off as she stopped struggling.

Her wrists were drawn up above her head and tied there while the greasy haired man climbed up to kneel on the table by her legs. "Hehe, looks like I get my turn first." He grinned, his eyes shining with malice and lust. He removed his suit pocket and passed it off to one of the men before retrieving a knife from his shirt pocket. He flicked it open and started popping the buttons off of her shirt, starting at her navel and working his way up.

Once all of the buttons were gone he tore her shirt back, he then traced the tip of the blade up her abdomen, then between her breasts. There he cut her bra off, her breasts falling loose on her chest. As one of his greasy hands groped her, her head shook slowly back and forth in protest. This made her vision blur badly and she was getting physically ill. Not only from his touch, but from the spinning of the room, the blurring of the men's faces mixed with the blinding light that now seemed to be swinging.

The men were all laughing at her, she could hear their voices chuckling and morphing into sounds she knew were made by the drugs. Her heart beat hard in her chest and it was getting harder for her to breath. She could feel him sliding further down on the table, the men rushing forward to get their hands on her, groping and feeling on her as the greasy man started to pull her pants down. Her eyes closed tightly and she wished for it to all end. She prayed for a savior, prayed for Spike. What she would give to see his face one last time. To feel his warmth. But even that seemed perverse now. She never wanted to be touched by a man again.

She was losing consciousness again, her head fell to the side, her unmoving eyes staring at the door. Astryd passed out with her eyes open. Just a moment later, Spike burst through the door, pistols blazing. There was heavy exchange of gunfire and soon the blood of the fat perverts spattered Astryd's exposed skin. Stepping quickly over dead bodies, Spike neared her. Her pupils were so dilated, he could hardly make out the colors over her mismatched irises. He couldn't bring himself to look at her body, and sure that she was dead, he pulled off his trench coat and wrapped her in it, not bothering to pull off her gag or untie her. Back up would surely be here soon and he needed to get away quickly.

Spike lifted her limp body from the table and rushed downstairs and out of the building. He hardly had time to think until they were in the Swordfish on their way back to the Bebop. The com system was reading that he had an unheard message but he ignored it for now. He put the ship into auto pilot and with a deep breath, pulled the coat away from her face.

Her silky black hair was knotted from struggling and her glassy eyes stared at something over his shoulder. The only sound in the cockpit was the faint beeping on his com, and a hollow sadness filled his heart. He removed the gag, lightly touching the bruised lips they concealed. "I can't even say that I'm sorry." It simply wouldn't mean enough. "I shouldn't have let you go off alone." Thin fingers gently closed her eyelids. Her last moments hadn't been like Julia's. Julia died thinking Spike loved her. She died quietly in his arms. At least she wasn't alone. Spike had let this happen. He let Astryd die on her own. She died alone, with the thought and fear that she was about to be violated.

Spike leaned back in the pilot seat, letting his head fall back, he rested his palm on his forehead. He didn't have the energy to move his other arm. He just left it drooped across Astryd's lap. He was running off of adrenaline in the syndicate building, but with that fading and his hope for finding her alive gone, he felt sapped of everything that he had left. He couldn't even look at her again. This wasn't how he wanted to remember her. But the other memories were fading already. The bright eyed, smiling woman from just this morning was dead and bruised in his lap and that was replacing everything.

That damn beeping was getting on his nerves. He just wanted it to stop. With one swift motion he kicked at the screen, starting up the message. While the computer read the date and time stamp, he realized it was sent while he was in the syndicate building.

"Spike! Spike, please, help me!" The voice perforated his very being and in rage he struck out at the side of the cockpit, denting the metal plating over his right side control panel. The last thing she had thought about was him. She had called out to him to save her, and he was too late. He had failed her.

Soon they were at the Bebop, Jet opened the hanger from inside the bay and as Spike landed the Swordfish, the ex-cop rushed to the edge of the wing. "Did you find her?" He called through gritted teeth, face tense with worry.

Without a word Spike pulled her out of the cockpit, sliding himself down onto the wing. His eyes were hollow when they met Jet's, telling the other man everything he needed to know.

Gently he passed Astryd's body down to Jet, then he dismounted the wing. Jet felt the heaviness of her body, but was relieved that Spike had covered her face. He knew that the younger man had seen it and held that burden for the rest of his days. It was merciful that he kept Jet from that burden.

Jet took a few steps in the direction of the bay door, when he heard something like choking. "Huh?" He whispered to himself before leaning his head down to where he though Astryd's face was. He could hear her breath, but only faintly, her throat making a light choking noise. "Spike! She's breathing!" Jet knelt down to the floor, repositioning Astryd so he could pull the coat down without dropping her.

Placing his fingers on her throat he could feel her heartbeat, very faint and slow, but there. "She's alive Spike!"

Spike was kneeling beside him now, a glimmer of hope returning to him as Jet pulled her still bound arms out from under the coat. The shreds of her shirt told him more than he wanted to know and he did his best to keep her covered. Once he saw the needle mark on her arm he knew. Breathing a relieved sigh, he gave a tired grin.

"They just sedated her. She's fine Spike. She's gunna be alright."

Spike was too shaken to do much other than regain his composure and pick Astryd up out of Jet's arms. "Thanks Jet." The lean man muttered as he made his way to the bathroom.

Once there he lay her on the floor and ran the tub full of hot water, pouring some soap in as well. As the water ran he knelt down beside her and removed the coat. Faye would have killed him when she woke up, but he knew that Astryd was different. Lifting her into a sitting position, he pulled the scraps of shirt off of her, then removed what was left of her bra and threw them by the door.

Averting his eyes as much as possible he pulled her pants off the rest of the way, and he had to admit that his face felt hot with embarrassment when her pulled her panties down. Even though he didn't look, he still felt like a pervert. Gently he lifted her and lowered her into the steaming water, allowing the bubbles to hide her form.

He would never leave her alone again. She was in danger and from now on, it was his responsibility to take care of her. With his mind racing with the day's events, he bathed her, brushed out her hair, and dressed her in some of his clothes before settling her into his bed. The last thing he did before turning in himself, was throw away the clothes she had been wearing. Good riddance to bad memories.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Part One

_Phoenix Revival_

Spike thought she was going to sleep forever. It was almost two in the afternoon and she still wasn't awake yet.

He paced up and down the hall in front of his bedroom door. Normally he wasn't like this, but Spike was an impatient man. Jet had told him to leave her alone. Just let her wake up on her own. But frankly that was getting old.

Almost on queue, his door slid open, revealing a barefooted Astryd on the other side. She looked out tentatively; upon seeing Spike she dropped her gaze. Something was wrong. The grin that he had when she opened the door faded, replaced by concern. "Hey, you okay?" He stepped forward and he could see her step back. A knife seemed to cut into his heart and he let his hand drop. A tear dropped down her face, sliding over her bruised cheek.

Frankly, he didn't care if she backed away from him, he stepped forward and pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. Being physical wasn't easy for him and it took a lot for him to make such a simple move. He could feel her hesitate, then press into his chest. She was crying now, quietly, into his shirt. When she spoke he could hardly hear her, and she wouldn't look at him, choosing to avert her eyes from his.

"Spike…you saved me?"

"Yeah." His voice was calm, but his mind when back to the day before when he came in on those old perverts that wanted to rape her. How much of that was she conscience for?

"I'm sorry Spike, I didn't want to….they forced me. I'm so sorry." She sobbed again, seeming to shrink away from him.

"Hey," He held her out at arm's length. "Nothing happened. I got there just in time."

"You…did?" She sniffled and looked up at him. He gave her a little grin, his eyes gave her comfort. She sighed with relief as he wiped a tear away. Before he told her he had stopped them, she felt dirty. She wasn't really sure of what happened, but she woke hours ago assuming the worst. She probably wouldn't have spoken to him again. Every time she would have seen his face, she would have felt filthy. Unfit to be around him.

"You didn't think I would let them do that to you do ya? C'mon have some faith." He gave her a fake slug to the jaw. "Now let's go. Even if you have faith in me, I don't have faith in Jet's cooking. Start praying now." He motioned for her to walk with him. With a grin, she tagged along, taking hold of the hem of his coat as they walked. Spike couldn't help but chuckle. Sometimes she was so much like a kid. So innocent and trusting of him. He was right, she would follow him anywhere.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Jet looked at her, smiling and holding his cooking glasses over his eyes. When she returned his smile and sat at the table, he felt a lot better. He pulled the glasses back down and turned back to his cooking. "So. We need to wait a few weeks, then go after the White Tiger Elders. They won't have the time to regain their forces. It'll be easy as pie."

At the name 'White Tigers' Astryd froze, Spike could see the color drain from her face. Without thought he reached out a squeezed her hand before letting it fall back below the table. "Jet, it's a little early to be planning that."

Jet looked over his shoulder, grumbled an apology, then turned back to the skillet. Sometimes he got a little ahead of himself. Open foot insert mouth…or maybe it was the other way around… Since he didn't know the whole story it was hard for him to empathize with her. Maybe the next time they shared a late night cup of coffee she would tell him a little more. Or maybe he could get Spike to talk to him. When he tried to talk to the younger man the night before he didn't get anywhere. Jet was almost as bad as Spike when it came to social skills.

"I'm sorry guys but I don't think I can do this anymore." Astryd looked into the depths of her coffee cup, watching her reflection shift and ripple in the dark liquid. A hand came into her vision, pouring thick white cream into her cup. Jet no doubt. He knew exactly how she liked her coffee.

In the time she had been here she had grown fond of the old cop. He was more of a dad to her than her own father. He had listened to her, talked to her, and over time had become a friend that she trusted with her life. She respected him and his opinion, but on this matter she felt she knew better. She simply couldn't go back in there. The last time she went she was almost…

Astryd shook her head, forcing the memory away. Jet spoke again as he set a plate of eggs before her. "I know you don't want to. I don't blame you. But if we wait too long they'll regain their numbers and they'll come back for you. Next time with force. What happened to you was…." Jet stopped talking. He didn't want to say it was Spike's fault. In a way it was, no matter how he hated to admit it. Spike knew better. He knew how much danger Astryd was in and he still let her go off alone.

Then again, Jet could blame himself too. He should have noticed a lot sooner that she wasn't around. It had been hours before he had even asked about her. He should have realized when she didn't come in and help him cook. Putting the blame off on Spike, or even on himself, wasn't going to change what had happened. They would just have to be more careful next time.

"Astryd. When you first came here, I asked you why you wanted to help us. Do you remember what you said to me?" Spike asked, his eyes watching her carefully.

"I said that I wanted to put an end to the syndicates." She spoke softly, cupping her hands around her mug and gazing down. In a way she felt like she was a child again, being scolded by adults that knew better. Damn she hated that feeling. Her face flushed slighty.

"You know we have to end this Astryd. We can't do it without you kiddo." Jet squeezed her shoulder. "If we take down the White Tigers, we'll change the lives of everyone on Ganymede. Everyone who lives under the fear of the White Tigers will finally be free from that worry. You remember what freedom felt like the first night you escaped right?" Jet waited until Astryd nodded. "We'll take care of you kid. We won't let anything happen to you next time."

The whole time Spike watched her from the corner of his eyes as he chowed down on his eggs. He was barely tasting them for as much attention he had on Astyrd. What Jet was saying was true but it was better to let him talk to her about it than Spike himself. Spike needed to keep a certain type of relationship between them. He needed her to trust him. To feel unpressured by him. When she looked at him, her eyes asking what he thought, he swallowed hard, then nodded with soft eyes.

There was so much he wanted to say to her. He wanted to tell her that he cared about her. That he felt like he needed to protect her, that he wouldn't abandon her again. He wanted to reach out and make her better. But he stayed silent, fists clenched tight. Some things never change. He had fought these emotions with Faye too. The closest he allowed himself to get to her was that day he had left. Faye was so close that day, he could have kissed her. Should have kissed her. If he had, how would things be now? Astryd would be living her life as a blues singer on Venus. Destiny had led him in a different direction. The question now was, if her star was going to fall, would destiny just bring him around full circle?

Spike's thoughts were interrupted when Astryd spoke. With a shaky voice she nodded and spoke. "Yeah. You're right Jet. I can't quit now. We've come too far." Her brow creased with anger. She was channeling her hurt into anger. "I'll get my revenge on them."

Without a word she stood and walked away. Almost tripping over his chair, Spike stood to follow her. What was she doing? He caught her right before she stepped into her room. "Hey, wait a sec."

Astryd stopped in her tracks, hand on the doorframe. Spike stopped just behind her, unsure of what he should do now. He could see she was trembling. There was plenty of reason for her to be angry and hurt. Even if she felt betrayed by him, he could understand. There was so much she needed, but could he give it to her? She turned and looked at him expectantly.

Time seemed to slow and with every moment, she was getting more and more disappointed. He had followed her, stopped her here in the hall, and still he did nothing. All he did was stand there, lips parted as if he was going to speak, a hand out to touch her. Instead of stepping forward, he let his hand drop, his mouth closed and his eyes…pleaded. There was so much inside of him that he refused to show. In this instance Astryd could understand how Faye felt. Here she stood, broken and hurting and he couldn't even muster the courage to comfort her. The deadly, dangerous Spike Spiegel couldn't even take two steps forward and hold her. Some courage huh.

The disappointment in her eyes spoke volumes to him. Dammit Spike! You're such a coward! As she turned her back to him, he remembered the song she had sung the first night they met. He was shutting her out and locking the door. But why? She needed him. She was tired and scared, bruised and hurting, and he couldn't even step up and give her what she needed. He had failed Faye like that, but wasn't he trying to change?

Before she could move further away, he grabbed her from behind, pulling her close, his lips so close to her ear she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck. It sent chills down her spine. Eyes wide, her face flushed red, she heard him speak. "I'll protect you, until the end."

She believed him.

Part Two

_Confession Hour_

All was silent on the bridge. Jet watched quietly, one foot crossed over his opposite knee. All the lights were off save the control panel. It wasn't much light, but it was enough to let him delve into his past.

He held a small picture in his prosthetic hand. It was old and faded, a little ragged around the edges, but Alisa's face still shone out of the center like he remembered it. Her short, dark hair framed her face. Her eyes stared through him and into his heart and soul. She always had such a kind expression. Gentle and knowing. He missed it. Some days he missed it more than others, but one thing had brought her back into his mind tonight was seeing Spike and Astryd together.

They were too uncomfortable to show their feelings in front of him, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the way Spike was changing. The young man would probably never tell Astryd how he felt, but Jet could see that he was trying to show her he cared instead.

Jet also caught the way Astryd looked at Spike. She was so trusting of him and it was kind of refreshing. Jet wondered if any woman had ever really trusted Spike. Faye didn't, that was for sure. Too many times she needed Spike to come after her and he skipped out instead. Spike couldn't change for Faye. Something back then was pushing him away from his feelings. Maybe it was his own fear that forced him to step back from her.

Hell, Jet's mind raced with a million different reasons Spike would feel that way. Why he would want to distance himself from Faye. With Julia still alive, he must have felt unfaithful to her. Wasn't that why Jet himself had never really moved on from Alisa? She was out there, alive and well, waiting on her boyfriend to get out of jail. She hadn't been a part of his life in a long time and as she told him before, time never stops. It stopped for him though. He never really moved on, and so he had never thought to find another. It wouldn't really be fair to the new woman. He would always be comparing her to Alisa in one way or another.

His brow furrowed, the frown on his face deepened and he felt a hundred years old. At least Spike had the courage to love again. The younger man may try to hide it from Jet, and even from Astryd to some extent, but it was there. That need to keep her safe.

"She's beautiful. That's Alisa right?"

Jet didn't even realize Astryd was behind him until she spoke. Anyone else and he would have quickly tucked the picture away, but he had already said a little about his old flame to Astryd. No need to hide it now. Instead he just forced a crooked grin as she set a cup of coffee and a sandwich in front of him. Somehow she seemed to know what he needed. His stomach growled and he accepted the food greatfully.

"You never told me what happened to her. She is alive right?" Astryd paused, watching him carefully. He nodded his head and she sat beside him, watching the stars twinkle out the bridge window. She wasn't going to pressure him into talking to her if he didn't want to.

"It was so long ago, it may as well be a fairy tale." Jet took one last look at the photo before placing it back in his pocket. "Not much to say about it. I came home one day and she was gone. Just left a watch and a piece of paper. All it said was, 'Farewell'." Jet shrugged, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"She never told you why she left?" Astryd leaned forward, elbows on her knees and looked over at Jet. He didn't return her gaze, but he did answer her question.

"I saw her years later. She just said that time never stops. That she just wanted to make her own mistakes. Wanted to live her own life. I wanted to believe that some sort of spark would still be there for her…but I was wrong. She had all but forgotten about me."

"I couldn't imagine forgetting someone I love." Astryd looked away, seeing Spike's smiling face in her mind. Even if she were caught and tortured, she would never forget him. The months she spent here on the Bebop made her life worthwhile. Going back to the syndicate now would mean an end to this part of her life. No matter what they did to her, she could never regret running away.

"What about Spike?" Jet's voice almost seemed to echo in the uncomfortable silence to follow. Neither party was aware that Spike himself stood in the doorway, quiet and unobserved. If Astryd knew he was there she wouldn't have answered Jet's question and Spike was too curious to reveal himself now. "Do you love him?"

Astryd stood, hesitating for a moment before walking over to the row of windows. Her fingers reached out to touch the icy glass, cold from the lifelessness of space. With a deep breath she collected her thoughts, her eyes drifting off to nothing in particular as she spoke.

"I don't know." She spoke quietly, but Spike could hear, his heart pounding in his chest. What would she say? "I don't really know what it means to be in love. All I know is…I think about Spike a lot. I think about my life before I came here and it's all so meaningless." Her eyes closed and she exhaled, leaning forward to place her forehead against the glass. "I would do anything to keep him safe. Even if that meant leaving Bebop and never speaking to him again, I would do it. It would be hard, but if things got too bad and I felt my presence would put him in danger, I would leave."

"Hm." Jet nodded in understanding. This was deeper than he thought. "I see. But you know…Spike would never let that happen. He would look for you."

Spike's expression didn't change, but his fingers clasped her pendant a little more tightly. Jet was right and it made him guilty. He never went to look for Faye if he wasn't forced to, and he didn't even actively look for Julia. He just followed leads when one happened to pop up. Why couldn't he do that for them? He had already done it for Astryd hadn't he? He even killed people to keep her safe. The thoughts in his head jumbled with the emotions he had forced back.

"Heh," Astryd sighed with a grin. " Let's not fool ourselves Jet. I appreciate what you're trying to do but, the truth is, Spike would move on. He's done it twice before that I know of, and maybe many more times that I don't. Spike's strong. He's made to be a survivor. Yeah, he came looking for me before, but only because I was a comrade in danger. He would have done the same for you, or even for Ed. If I just disappeared, no danger involved, do you really think he would look for me? I don't have anything he wants. I'm not sexy and strong like Faye, and I'm not beautiful and dangerous like Julia. What could I possibly have that Spike would want? Trouble? He's had plenty of that."

Spike didn't want to hear any more. It was time to show himself and settle this. The more she said, the more Jet let on that he knew, the more tangled Spike's head and heart felt. All he wanted was peace of mind.

Jet's gaze drew up when Spike walked past him. His jaw went a little slack, how much had Spike heard? How was this affecting him now if he did hear? "Spike…"

Before Astryd could respond to the name, the lightest touch grazed the flesh of her throat. A thin chain wrapped around her neck and Spike clasped it in the back. The heart shaped pendant was warm against her skin, her fingers were drawn to its metallic feel. She turned to face him, looking up to his face with a wide eyed smile.

"You found my necklace? You don't know how much this means to me Spike. Thank you." Without hesitation she reached up and touched his face, pulling him down slightly while rising to her toes. Her lips brushed his cheek in a light kiss. He was obviously surprised but he didn't speak, he simply watched her walk away. She hadn't shown him that kind of affection in a long time, but it felt good. The confusion in his heart settled like dust after a storm. For now, everything was going to be okay. "Goodnight guys." She gave Jet a pat on the shoulder and grabbed his plate before leaving the two men in silence.

"Too bad I didn't find that necklace. Maybe I woulda got a kiss too." Jet chuckled, poking fun as his comrade. "Where did you find that thing anyway?"

Spike shot a look at Jet, then regained his cool, watching out the window as they watched Mars come into view. "Faye had it." His deep voice rolled out smoothly, filling the space with an unspoken weight. Seeing Faye had brought him full circle in thinking about her. Now she was clouding his mind from time to time in ways she hadn't in a long time. It was making things more confusing by the day. The more danger Astryd was in, the worse it got. Maybe it was time to talk about it and sort out his emotions. Too bad he was shit at conversation. Especially with Jet. He didn't want Jet knowing he was confused. It was important that Jet think he had it all together underneath his aloof exterior.

"What? You saw Faye? What did she say?" Jet leaned forward, almost knocking over his coffee. He was obviously interested now, his face clearly showing his shock. He hadn't seen or spoken to her since she left the Bebop and frankly he thought he never would again. This had to be affecting Spike in many ways. He seemed to have it all together, and maybe he did, but Jet didn't know how he would handle it if he were in Spike's shoes.

"I was looking for Astryd remember? I didn't really have time to stop and explain things. She was pissed that I was alive." Spike huffed a little chuckle.

"Same ol' Faye." Jet smiled, and sat back again. He knew there was more that Spike wasn't telling him. "You chicken out again?" Spike would know what he meant. This would taunt Spike out of his shell with a challenge and maybe Jet would get some extra info.

"What did you expect me to do? Astryd was in danger. Faye has her own life now. She doesn't need me popping in and screwing things up." Spike walked away from the window and to the door, entwining his fingers and stretching his arms over his head in an attempt to make it look like he didn't care about Faye's new life. Like seeing her again was no big deal.

"Do you love her?" Jet asked as Spike passed him. The younger man paused at the door and Jet knew he struck a nerve. Question now was, which woman would he answer for?

"You were right. I would look for her. I would find her and bring her back." Spike skirted the question, letting go just enough to satisfy Jet. These emotions needed to be further assessed before he felt comfortable saying for sure what they were.

"I was talking about Faye." Jet raised one eyebrow in interest. The door slid open and Spike left without a reply. He knew Jet had tricked him out of information and even though he had tried to give the old cop as little to go on as possible, he had given away too much.

Part Three

_Sweet Revenge_

The next few weeks were uneventful. Spike had returned Astryd's necklace to her and was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek. It was the first time she had showed him that kind of affection since that first night when he discovered her scars. It felt nice. Spike had almost forgotten how good it felt to have someone display their affection. It was a bit strange though since Jet was sitting only a few feet away. Spike had snapped at him when he made a quip about it after Astryd had left the room. At least Jet was good natured about it.

Today was the day they had been waiting for. Today they would infiltrate the White Tiger Syndicate and take down their elders. Jet would be involved in this sting, as well as Astryd and Spike. They needed everyone they could get and since Edward was too easily distracted they thought it better to leave her behind. Besides, she was a crucial point in their plan.

Before dawn, Edward would set the security cameras in the syndicate building on continuous loop, then shut down all of the lighting and emergency measures on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth floors. Astryd, Jet and Spike would separate and take out the syndicate elders while they slept, arresting each, then escaping through the roof before being noticed. The elders lived in the top three floors of the building. They thought it made them safer, but Jet got a good laugh out of their foolishness.

Most of the building was empty at night, allowing for only a few security guards. This would be a piece of cake. Well, at least Jet was convinced of this. Spike was suspicious. It was too easy. In a way, Astryd agreed with him. As many of their members that had been turned in for the bounty, Astryd found it had to believe that the elders wouldn't up their security. Only time would tell and it was almost time to set their plan in motion. Besides, it seemed like every time Jet said it would be a piece of cake, something went wrong.

It was nearly four am and the streets outside the building were mostly deserted. Jet turned on his hand held com and gave Edward the signal to hack the building. Within second, the top three floors went completely dark. Spike clicked a few buttons on a wristwatch communicator Jet let him borrow.

"Swordfish, Hammerhead, and Stingray on autopilot and ready to go. They'll rendezvous with us in about twenty minutes. Let's make this quick. That yellow couch it calling my name." He grinned crookedly, twirling his Jericho on his index finger before holstering it and walking up to the building.

Jet peered in the door, but he couldn't see anyone. Still he kept his gun drawn as Astryd picked the padlock on the door. She chuckled and shook her head as she tossed the metal lock in the bushes. How pathetic. Why secure a glass door with a padlock and chain? That was so primitive. Jet clicked the com on again and asked Edward to check the entrance. Another second or two and they heard the door locks click.

Spike pulled the doors open and let them inside. Astryd had taken the chain from the door and wrapped it around her right hand. The scared, hurt girl from a few weeks ago was gone now. She had been channeling all of her anger into this day. The look in her dual colored eyes was deadly. Spike could see that she was about to take her revenge in a way that might need to be avoided. He caught her attention and pointed at her chain clad hand, then shaking his head he made a slicing motion across his neck, a signal to remind her they weren't here to kill anyone.

With a nod she confirmed that she understood. Sure, she was angry at the elders, but she didn't know how Spike could think that she would kill them in cold blood. They were evil men, but she was no killer. The first time was enough to keep her in check, though she highly doubted that these men's faces would stick with her forever. If the elders died tonight, they would deserve it.

Once in the elevator it took no time to enter the fourteenth floor. When the doors slid open, the three of them had their weapons drawn and ready. All was silent here. The only light in the large suite was the light from the elevator reflecting off of the polished tile floors. Spike and Astryd exited the elevator and Jet went up to the next floor.

Spike and Astryd put on their night vision goggles, then allowed their eyes to adjust. Astryd had never used them before so a quick run-down before they left had helped her in their operation. However, it didn't make her like them. She hated how heavy they were and hated even more how everything looked. At least she could see, that made it all worth it.

The two lowest ranking elders lived here, then the two above them, then Elder Tae at the top of the tower, a whole floor all to himself. Spike and Astryd walked quietly between two big plush chairs, a stout coffee table a few feet away displayed a pistol, a bottle of bourbon, and two glasses. Someone went to bed unarmed.

As they passed the table, Spike stashed the bourbon in a satchel at his side. Astryd gave him an amused glance, one eyebrow raised and the corner of her lips twitched up in a crooked grin. Damn Spike, such a goofball. He returned her grin and waved his hand toward one of the doors. Ladies first.

At the back of the apartment, two hallways split off to separate living quarters. Astryd would take the left, Spike the right. They moved silently down the halls, watching each other out of the corner of their eyes. Astryd reached out and grabbed the cool metal of the doorknob, turning gently until she heard it click. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but after another moment of silence, it slowed once more.

The door opened quietly, Astryd expecting it to squeak any moment. She stopped when she could finally slip through, entering the room with gun ready. Making her way forward to the foot of the bed, the sleeping form of the elder lay undisturbed. Sidestepping around the edge of the bed, she pulled the covers down just enough to see his head clearly.

He was in his late fifties, with wrinkled skin and salt and pepper hair. Even asleep, his face was stern and hard, signs of a man unable to relax in his waking life. Astryd never understood why people wanted to lead this kind of life. She thought of Spike, now twenty nine years old, he was about her age or younger when he started his life with the Red Dragons. Even more difficult to think of was why Spike wanted this life? Such a loving, goofy kind of guy, choosing the life of a drug dealer and murderer. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Spike wasn't sweet all of the time. Sometimes, he was a cold blooded killer. An animal craving the kill.

Astryd shook her head. If she kept wasting time like this, Spike would abandon his position to find out what was taking her so long. With one swift motion she brought the gun above her head, then smashed in into the sleeping man's temple, hopefully knocking him out cold. She didn't want to touch him, so she stuck out her weapon and poked his face with it. No response. She cuffed him and quickly made her way back to the door.

Peeking out into the darkness, she gave Spike the thumbs up to continue. Ignoring her sight, she listened for the sound of the blow, then for the chinking of the handcuffs. A drop of sweat that trickled from her forehead to her jaw seemed to be the only thing moving in this place. Silence, then a clunk. Astryd smiled, then put her weapon away. Spike had been successful. A moment later he emerged from the far bedroom, the elder slung over his shoulder.

Spike deposited the man unceremoniously in the elevator, letting the sliding door clunk on the man's arm. Astryd had pulled her victim off of the bed and was dragging him to the door when Spike entered and lifted the unconscious man to his shoulder. "C'mon. We don't have much time."

They walked quickly to the elevator, throwing the second man on top of the first and stepping in over their bodies. Spike pushed the button for the next floor and the doors slid closed. They pulled their goggles off and rubbed their eyes. It seemed Astryd wasn't the only one who hated those things. A faint hum and they were on the next floor, the silver doors sliding open to reveal Jet, leaned back against the panel and polishing his gun, two unconscious and cuffed men at his feet, his night vision goggled perched on top of his head. He smiled at them as Spike pulled the first man in and added him to the pile. "I was wondering when you guys would come up. Whad' ya do, stop for tea?" He joked, tossing in the fourth man himself before joining them. Astryd was wondering about the weight limit when Spike joined Jet's joke.

"Bourbon actually." Spike chimed in, pulling the top of the bottle out of his satchel as proof.

"Nice. If this goes well we'll open that baby up."

"I still recall someone owing me some lobster…" Spike grinned, shooting a look of expectation. Astryd chuckled and shook her head, sliding the goggles back down on her face as the doors to the top floor opened. This was it, what they had been waiting for. Astryd took a deep breath and stepped out, waiting for Spike to join her. The doors closed on Jet and the four elders, leaving Spike and Astryd in darkness, with only their night vision to guide them.

Part Four

_Cowboys, and Tigers, and Jackals Oh My!_

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they realized something was…off. Noises coming from the bedroom made Spike chuckle uncomfortably, and Astryd shook her head as she felt her cheeks flush. They would obviously be interrupting something, but that didn't stop Spike. He made his way across the apartment to the bedroom, not trying very hard to be quiet. With all that noise from the bedroom, he didn't think he had to be so careful.

They flanked the bedroom door, weapons at the ready. Astryd lifted the goggles to the top of her head, letting her eyes adjust as Spike did the same. After a moment she looked over at him, waiting for his signal. He returned her gaze, shooting her an awkward grin, then a curt nod. With one quick movement he flung the door open and flicked the lights on.

A woman screamed and Astryd raised her weapon, ready to fire. Spike took a few steps inside and stopped, gun aimed at Elder Tae's head. The older man was clearly shocked, a crease of irritation also marked his brow. He was not pleased about being interrupted.

"C'mon Tae. Let's go. You're bounty'll buy us a nice dinner. Maybe that lobster you owe me?" Spike's eyes shifted to Astryd at the last part. He really didn't know when to quit did he? Astryd rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the woman. She was trying to hide her face. Probably too embarrassed after being interrupted to uncover her face.

"You," Astryd spoke to the woman. "Show yourself." The woman complied with much hesitation, and as soon as Astryd saw her face she knew her. "Natasha?" Astryd's face flashed confusion.

"Lady Astryd…." The woman's eyes grew wide with alarm, her pale hand drew the blanket farther up on her chest as she shrank back into the headboard. Then she stopped. What she was doing was wrong, but Astryd was committing a worse offense. She was aiding the bounty hunters and police. If she got out of here alive, knowledge of the syndicate leader's daughter helping law enforcement would surely lessen her own punishment. "Won't your father be happy to see you." Her violet eyes narrowed. This was exactly what Natasha needed to bring her out on top of the game in the Black Jackals. She just had to get the situation to go her way and she could survive this.

"Lady? Huh? You guys know each other?" Spike's brow raised in interest.

"Yeah." Astryd answered, not taking her eyes off of Natasha. "She was sent into the White Tigers over a year ago as a low level spy for the Black Jackals. Father always wondered where she got all of her top information. Guess it's easy to get if you're sleeping around with an Elder huh?" Astryd shook her head in disgust. "This is a highly punishable crime against the syndicate Natasha. You have to come with us."

Elder Tae was clearly shocked, his face contorted with anger and confusion. "What the hell is going on here?" He watched as the blond woman stepped out of bed, revealing her naked form, and her pistol.

"I'm not going anywhere." Natasha grinned maliciously, her violet eyes narrowing as she took aim on Astryd. "Go ahead and take him. I don't care. I got what I needed. But if I want to go home and make it out alive, I need you to come with me. Guess it's time to say goodbye to your friends Astryd. You're coming with me."

Spike gritted his teeth, unsure if he needed to aim at Tae, or at Natasha. His eyes darted back and forth, watching for any suspicious movement. This was all too easy. Tae wasn't even fighting back. Then again, how much could he expect? The White Tiger Elder was caught with his pants down. Literally. Tae didn't seem to have much choice in whether or not he was captured, but Spike would watch him all the same.

"This is as good as treason to my father. You think bringing me home will help you? Sleeping with the enemy is capitol offense Natasha." Astryd shook her head. "It would be better if you just came quietly."

"Ha! You lecture me about sleeping with the enemy. What about Mr. Bounty Hunter over there? I'm sure he had an easy time charming you into the sheets." Natasha motioned toward Spike with her head, eyes flashing as the corners of her ruby lips curled up in a cruel smile. "How long were you locked up on that compound again? Twenty plus years? A lot of time to build up tension."

Spike's eyes widened slightly, this conversation was going in the wrong direction fast. He glanced at Astryd, her cheeks were visibly flushed and he almost grinned. Had she thought about it? I mean, she was in her twenties. She must have thought about it right? He shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? If only he knew this was the second time someone had made the same comment to her about him.

"Look, we're on a time schedule here, let's get going okay?" Spike strode over to Tae, taking a pair of handcuffs from his belt pouch as he approached the man. "Hands up. Let's make this nice and easy. Don't want this night gettin' any weirder." Spike kicked the older man's underwear toward him and waited until he put the shorts on. Once Tae was partially clothed, Spike snapped the cuffs around Tae's wrists, securing them behind his back.

"Natasha," Astryd spoke as calmly as she could, ignoring the nude woman's comment. Her fingers tightened around her weapon again, readjusting her grip. "I'm not going to ask you again. I'm taking you in alive, but that doesn't mean I won't take you in wounded. Put the gun down."

The blonde's eyes narrowed again, her face softening slightly. She put her hands up, then gently knelt down to place her weapon on the floor. As she did, Astryd looked at Spike, reaching out a hand for some cuffs. Natasha had the opportunity she needed. Without a moment's hesitation, she drew and fired. The bullet ripped through Astryd's shoulder, throwing her back into the wall.

In an instant, Natasha lay bleeding on the floor, gripping her thigh and howling in pain. Spike threw the blanket over her, then grabbed Tae by the back of his neck and threw him to the floor near Astryd.

Gripping her shoulder, Astryd sat back against the wall, blood pooling through her fingers. She gritted her teeth and did her best not to cry. How the hell did Spike manage getting shot so much? With a deep breath she looked at her hand. Blood trickled down her wrist and she pressed the wound again. Every breath felt like a bolt of lightning coursing through her nerves, starting at the entry wound and radiating to her toes.

"You okay? Dammit, Jet's gunna kill me." Spike growled, eyeing her wound. He leaned her forward gently. The back of her shirt was clean. "Shit. The bullet's still in there. C'mon, we gotta get you outta here."

"I'm fine." Astryd whispered through her teeth as stood, using Spike's arm for support. He guided her to the bed and let her sit down again before he yanked Natasha to her feet. Now he had a problem. With concern in his eyes he looked at Astyrd, then back to Tae and Natasha.

"Look, I need you to stay right here. I'm gunna throw these guys in the elevator. Jet'll get them on the roof. I'll be right back for you okay?"

Astryd nodded, feeling a little light headed now. Spike led the captives to the elevator, half dragging Natasha as she screamed and cried, the pressure on her wounded leg was too much on her. In an instant the screaming stopped and Spike hurried in, holstering his gun as he approached her.

"C'mon." He grabbed her good arm to help her up. She was a little pale, but still conscious. Blood surged out of her wound when she stood, sending a fresh wave into her hand. Her stomach rolled and for a moment she lost her balance. Spike stopped her from falling and once she regained her senses they made their way to the elevator. "Stay awake for me. Think you can do that?" She nodded slowly, his voice urged her on.

The one floor elevator ride made her sick and she was glad they didn't have to go further. When the door slid open, light spilled out into the darkness of a rooftop garden. Astryd hobbled along with Spike, pushing herself to go as fast as possible. Dawn was nearing and if the remaining White Tiger members saw them up here it would be all over. They had to get out fast and hope that no one decided to be a workaholic today.

"Spike! What the hell happened?" Jet growled, trying a strip of cloth around Natasha's leg. She had passed out already but Jet was careful to gag her anyway. When he looked up and saw Astryd's bloody hand and shoulder he looked like he would bite Spike's head off. "Dammit Spike, can't you do anything right?" He fumed, yelling in anger as he slammed the compartment door. "She can't fly like that." He pointed at Astryd, her face now pale and her lids drooping.

A stream of curses accompanied Jet as he climbed the wing of Stingray, setting the auto pilot as Spike lifted Astryd to sit on the wing of the Swordfish. She sat silently while he pulled himself up, then put her in the cockpit with him. He had set her in the floor for the moment, letting her lean against his leg until he could get in the air and set the coordinates of the Bebop.

Stay awake. Stay awake. The phrase repeated in her head as the world around her spun. Stay awake. Unconsciousness was pulling her away and she was trying her best to fight it. It was like drowning all over again and like fingers clawing through water, she found nothing of consciousness to grab onto. Into the darkness she sank.

After takeoff Spike realized she had passed out. With great effort he pulled her up into his lap, her limp body sprawling out over his legs. Damn. How many times was this going to happen? He thought to himself, brow furrowed in irritation. His screw ups seemed to keep getting her hurt. Natasha should have never been given the opportunity to shoot Astryd. Spike should have killed her right when she drew her weapon. He was getting too soft. "Jet was right." He sat said to himself as he unbuttoned his leisure suit and button up shirt. The leisure suit felt weird against his skin when he replaced it and fastened the straps against his chest. The tie had to come off, he thought while untying it. Besides, he would need it.

Within minutes the yellow shirt had been fashioned into a bandage, his tie securing it in place. A few blood spots had soaked through but they were almost to the Bebop. It was good that she was passed out. Digging out that bullet would be no easy task. Question was, how long would she stay knocked out?

The answer was, not long. Soon after Jet had started with his surgical tweezers, Astryd's brow creased in pain and her bi colored eyes fluttered. Spike watched from the doorway, afraid to show too much emotion. Back here he could observe without letting his emotions get the best of him. Edward peeked over the back of the couch, interested but quiet.

At fifteen years old, Ed was still weird, but she had gotten tolerable. She was still super excitable and most of the time spoke in nonsensical rhymes, but she had learned one key thing. When to shut up. Spike was glad for it. The last thing he needed right now was to have to chase Ed off.

Astryd cried out in pain as Jet dug a little further into her shoulder. Pain shot to her toes as the metal pushed aside muscle to find the bullet lodged within. Jet was having a hard time keeping the wound clear of blood, the bullet being much deeper than he originally thought. Tightly closed lids didn't help the flow of tears and gritted teeth didn't help the pain.

Every scream pierced Spike's heart, but his face remained stony. She would live through this, it was superficial. He kept telling himself over and over that she would be okay. Ed disappeared behind the couch and Spike spotted her slinking down the right side stairs. Kid wasn't cut out for this lifestyle.

"Spike, she's lost too much blood. I have to get this bullet out soon or she could go into shock. Come hold her down." Jet growled at him.

A moment's hesitation and Spike was at his side, sitting on the edge of the couch. Face taunt with concentration, he held her injured arm to her side, placing his other arm over her torso. He gave a nod to Jet and the digging started again.

Spike could feel her muscles tense under him, her heartbeat racing through his skin. She reached out with her good hand, twining her fingers in his tightly. Her grip was almost crushing but the discomfort gave in an outlet for his emotions and without though, he squeezed her hand right back. A simple gesture that spoke volumes. I'm here.

"Got it." Jet grimaced, pulling the lead out of Astryd's shoulder just as she went limp, her head falling back to the yellow cushion. The bullet landed softly in Spike's outstretched hand, the small bullet carried a great weight for Spike. A few inches to her right, and Astryd would have been killed instantly. Death seemed to be nipping at her heels. Every time he got her out just in the nick of time, but how long could that last? He knew there are only so many times you can cheat death. This makes number three. Would death allow him a number four? Or would it be so cruel as to tear her away from him? The prospect seemed likely all too likely and lately it was plaguing his dreams.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Part One

_Someplace Warm and Sunny_

Astryd stretched in front of the bathroom mirror, working out the tension in her left arm. The bullet wound was finally healed and a purple scar had formed there, raised slightly off of her skin. Her fingertips traced it lightly, thinking of Spike's many bullet scars. It had taken a week for her to recover from the gunshot and blood loss but all in all, it had healed nicely and all only a little tightness was left.

Shortly after she was shot, Jet landed them on Venus and they had been here ever since. He said that since they missed their vacation on Mars, this was as good a time as ever to take some down time. He was even planning a big picnic out on the deck, barbequed meat and all. Astryd didn't know anything about grilling out, so she just let Jet handle it.

Spike hadn't spoken to Astryd since the accident and she was getting nervous. He had put so much distance between them that she didn't even feel comfortable approaching him. Confronting him was totally out of the question at this point. Besides, she didn't have many chances to talk to him anyway. The only times she even saw him anymore were when he was passed out on the couch or leaving in the Swordfish. Every time she felt like she had the courage to talk to him, something inside wouldn't let the words come out of her mouth. But that could only last so long. Tension was building and sooner or later she would have to confront him. Maybe today would be that day.

As she thought, her fingers pushed sunglasses on top of her head, holding back her long silky hair. Then she wrapped a sarong around her hips, tying it in place before checking to make sure her bikini top was secured. When she was ready she took a bottle of sun screen from the cabinet and left the bathroom.

Out on the deck, Ed was asleep next to her fishing pole and Jet was standing in front of a smoking grill with a "Kiss the Cook" apron on. Astryd grinned. He was like the embarrassing friend you couldn't help but love. Bug lug. He was hardly what he appeared to be. Like a hard candy filled with warm gooey caramel. Sure, he could be harsh sometimes, but it was just his way of showing he cared.

Jet waved to her with his spatula when he saw her, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Astryd walked over to him, glancing around at the crystal clear water that surrounded them. A beach a few yards away yielded plenty of vacationers. Some swimming, some on floats, and some were just lazing around on the beach. Further down, Astryd could see some people tossing a beach ball around. It was the perfect day for a barbeque.

"Looks like you planned this out nicely Jet." Astryd squeezed the sun screen bottle, filling her palm with the cool white lotion before setting it on one of the grill racks. She rubbed it into her skin, looking around now for Spike. "Hey Jet….can you put this on my back for me?" She pulled her hair to the side and handed him the bottle.

"Uh…sure." Jet answered, eyebrows arched from under his glasses, his cheeks turning slightly pink. He grabbed the bottle as she turned around and his smile faded. The scars that crisscrossed her back were startling. Had Spike seen these? Maybe that was why he had been distancing himself from her. "Wow. Where did you get these?" he asked, rubbing the lotion gently over her back, almost afraid to touch the scars.

"Long story." Her eyes wandered off deck again, avoiding his question. That topic was too depressing for a day like this. She wouldn't let something like that ruin her good mood. "Maybe I'll tell you about it later." Jet shrugged and set the bottle down as Astryd removed her sarong and started coating her legs.

"Hey Spike! How you want your steak buddy?" Jet called out toward the hanger door and Astryd looked up to see the man standing just outside the doorway. Her heart almost stopped in her throat when she saw him. Gulping down her shock she put on a smile and stood up.

Spike couldn't help but raise a brow when he saw Astryd standing there in her little black bikini, her skin shimmering with sun screen, hair blowing softly in the breeze. Once again his eyes trailed up her left thigh from her knee to her hip, tracing the curve of her black tattoo until it disappeared. Her eyes seemed to sparkle when she saw him and he forced back a smile. Instead he put on his best poker face and looked away from her to Jet. "Not hungry." He grumbled and turned back to the door. His stomach growled at the smell of steak but if he accepted, he would have to stay out here with them and all his hard work avoiding Astryd would be for nothing.

Jet was clearly surprised when Spike refused the food but he just shrugged his shoulders and went about his business. Spike was always a weird one. For the most part Jet could understand why he did the things he did, but right now he was at a loss. It was obvious that Spike had been avoiding Astryd at almost all costs. But why? They had already taken out a big syndicate and had decided not to go after the Jackals for a good long while. They were bigger than the White Tigers and more dangerous, but they had one thing the Tigers didn't have. Defined structure.

The White Tigers could always get new leaders if the members were brave enough to try, but the Jackals were a different story. It was passed down father to child. The elders were very defined too. They had their own sections of their business to run that only they knew about. Leaders were chosen and trained by their fathers, uncles, grandfathers and so on. When they stepped down to become an elder, that elder taught them the ins and out of that section of the business. That way no one was more powerful than someone else. It was like a kingdom. Only "royal" blood could lead. If they took out Astryd's father, brother, and the elders, the whole syndicate would come crashing down. It was something Spike and Jet had decided they wouldn't even think about attempting now. So why distance himself from Astryd? It just didn't make sense.

"Spike? Hey, wait!" Astryd grabbed her sarong, wrapping around her hips as she ran to the hanger door where Spike had just disappeared. She found herself in the same hallway where Spike had saved her from drowning. It seemed like it had been so long ago. Years instead of months.

Spike had stopped in the hallway, hands shoved in his pockets. He didn't turn to her. Why couldn't he change? It wasn't his way. The only thing he could do now was fall into the unknown. Let her ask her questions. He had run through this conversation many times since the accident, he was ready.

"Spike. Are you okay? You haven't….you haven't spoken to me since that night we took out Tae. Did I do something?" Astryd fiddled with her necklace nervously, her other hand resting on the knot that tied the sarong. She needed something firmer to hold but couldn't find anything.

"No." Spike answered after a moment's hesitation. His back was still to her, but he could feel her eyes boring into him. Don't turn around Spike. That'll just make it worse. Don't do anything to break yourself. You know what you have to do. Just do it.

"Then why are you avoiding me? Look Spike…" She took a tentative step forward, the closed her eyes and spoke, hoping for the best. "I care about you. Probably more than I should. If there's something wrong then..."

"You're wasting your time." Spike's dark voice cut through her sentence, leaving her in silence, eyes wide in surprise. She blinked a few times and stepped back, letting her gaze fall away. What was going on? She was wasting her time caring about him? His heart was pounding in his chest but he made no move to look at her. Instead he clenched his fists in his pockets, internally convincing himself that this was all for the best. That this was the best way to keep what remained of his heart intact.

"So you don't…care about me at all."

Spike could almost feel the pain in her voice. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall a bit. He knew what he had to do but when he had played this conversation in his head he didn't imagine it would feel like this. She had to know the truth. Everything aside, she deserved to know the truth.

"I can't care about you."

"Then why did you save me all those times?" She shot back, unsure if she was more angry, hurt, or confused. All this time she thought there was something there. And now he was shooting her down? He saved her, he knew her past, he even kissed her. Was it all pity? Did he feel sorry for her because of her past? Because his past matched his own in some ways? Astryd shook her head in disappointment. A sickness passed from her chest to her stomach, working a cold chill down her spine. Everything was falling apart around her.

"Because you were in danger. I don't love you, but that doesn't mean I want you to die either."

This time Spike felt the chill. He could hear her take another step back and he felt that much colder inside. Thinking he could love her was his own mistake. Letting her get so close was a mistake. Spike needed to be alone. It was the only way he could survive. To not feel loss again. She said that he was made to survive and in a way, it was true. But she didn't know how much of him was really dead inside. Too many times he had asked himself how much more of his heart could die before his body gave up with it. He wasn't going to kill off another part of himself. It had to end here and now. Hurt her, stay alive. Survival of the fittest.

"Oh. I…see." Eyes downcast, she felt sick. I don't love you. It repeated itself in her head. I don't love you. What now? With nothing better to do, she turned away, wiping a tear from her cheek before straightening herself. She could hear his footsteps echoing down the hall. When she couldn't hear them anymore she clicked a button beside the door, flooding the darkness with sunlight. Put on your best smile, she told herself, plastering on a grin. Just smile and bear it.

Part Two

_Hard Choices_

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

Astryd stirred, feeling around groggily for her laptop. Who the hell would contact her at this hour? She opened the screen and clicked the com link, letting her head fall back onto the bed, eyes closed. "What do you want? Don't you know what time it is?"

"It's 2 am Tuesday morning for the Bebop, en route to Mars. But it's 8 pm Monday night here on Europa."

The cold voice shocked Astryd awake. She scrambled up to her laptop, staring in horror at the screen. There her twins face stared back at her, calm and relaxed, but his eyes burned with malice.

"Orion…how did you…." Astryd could hardly articulate a sentence, feeling her pulse quicken she felt the need to run. To go wake up Jet and tell him then needed to get to safety. But where could be safe? She didn't even know how Orion would know where she was, or how to contact her.

"How long did you think this could last Astryd? Don't act so surprised sister, you knew we would eventually catch up to you. Your personal weakness led us right to you. Natasha would have been better off dead. You should have killed her. Don't you know prisoners get one call? She told us everything we needed to know to find you. Tsk tsk. I thought you were smarter than that." Orion snipped, shaking his head in mock scolding. "Father wants me to retrieve you and as entertaining as that would be, I simply don't feel like it. I told him I would make you come to me. You will come to me Astryd." His voice turned dark, all hints of mockery gone.

"No Orion." Astryd sat back from the screen, fear easily read on her. "I'm not going back. I'm finally free. Just leave me alone."

"You? Ha. I think you're useless. I couldn't care less if you never come back. But Father is the leader. He thinks you're worth something. Taking down the whole White Tiger syndicate. He thinks it's impressive and wants you to join his War Council. That is, after you are punished for your treason." Orion seemed irritated that their father would want her in such a high position but that was quickly overshadowed by his obvious glee that she would be punished.

"I'm not coming back Orion I have…too much to live for out here."

"I thought you might say that. Let me guess, it's because of that cowboy right? What's his name again? Oh yeah, Spike Spiegel." Orion glared at her as he flipped through some papers, pulling out a picture of Spike and Astryd walking together in the marketplace. "He would be a nice trophy wouldn't he? Father could keep him nice a cozy on display here. The Rising Star of the Red Dragons. He would make a nice pet wouldn't he?"

Astryd had seen her father do this to people before. He had a small cylindrical cage in the training compound. It was tall enough to stand up in, but hardly wide enough to sit down cross-legged. He would capture big shots from rival syndicates and keep them locked in there like animals. Members were allowed to do whatever they wanted to the captured person, including cutting them through the bars. Some had even been shot in there and let bleed to death, and almost all of them were starved to skin and bone. She couldn't imagine Spike in here, bleeding, starving, and weak. Just because he didn't love her, didn't mean she didn't love him.

"Please Orion, leave Spike out of this." Her fingers gripped the sides of the computer screen as if she were grabbing her brother personally. "Please Orion. I'll come back, but leave Spike alone." Her voice was broken and shaky as she pleaded with him. This was the first time she admitted to herself that she loved Spike and it made her emotions all the more real. She had to do something, anything, to keep him safe and away from her father. Even if it meant leaving forever.

Now she regretted saying that. It was as if the universe had come back on her, testing her, daring her to prove that what she said to Jet that night was true. That she would leave and never come back. Luckily for her, Jet was wrong. Spike would only look for her if she were in danger. But if she made out like she left of her own free will, things might be different. The question was, how long could Jet be fooled? He was a smart guy, he was more likely to catch on than Spike.

"I thought that might persuade you. Father will be waiting. Be by the West gate by midnight tomorrow, Europa time. Or I'll send my men out for you. And Spike." The screen went black as Orion ended the transmission.

Trembling all over, Astryd knew what she had to do now. She had to go home, face her fate, and leave Spike behind. The tears rolled down her face, plopping down onto her legs. It was her turn to save Spike. She wouldn't let him down.

Sometimes the hardest decisions are the ones where you don't have a choice.

The ship seemed so dark, so quiet tonight. She didn't have time to lament over the past, she only had time for one thing. A quick stop to say a silent goodbye.

The Stingray was loaded up and ready to go when she made her way back through the corridors of the Bebop, knowing the way like the back of her hand. She passed many rooms, so cluttered with junk she was sure Jet and Spike hadn't been in for years.

It didn't take long for her to reach Spike's door. Her fingers hesitated over the control panel. If he woke up, this could get more complicated than it already was. He was bound to ask her what she was doing there. Would she answer him? No. Maybe she would make out like she was sleep walking again.

Pulling in the rest of her courage she clicked the panel, stepping back around the corner as the door slid open. When she didn't hear him stir, she peeked around the doorframe. He was breathing lightly, his chest rising and falling under one of his hands. The blanket had been pushed off to the floor and lay in a crumpled heap by the bed.

Astryd picked it up, holding it close for a moment. It wasn't warm anymore, but it still smelled like him. Cigarettes, cologne, and Spike's own personal scent was strong on it. She didn't want to forget this scent, so she just slung it over her shoulder. Spike wouldn't miss it. Jet had plenty more just down the hall. Besides, she needed something to hold onto from this place. The nights from now on were bound to be a little longer, a little colder. She would need something warm and safe to wrap up in.

"Maybe I'll see you again someday." She whispered as she knelt by his bed, daring to touch his face one last time. Unclasping her necklace, she slipped the pendant into the hand that rested on his chest. "If only in a dream."

Part Three

_Satellite Emotions_

Morning came and Spike found himself waking at eight. He looked at the clock and groaned, flailing an arm around to find his blanket. Gone? He could have sworn he went to sleep with that damn blanket. Oh well. It was too late to go back to sleep anyway. Rolling onto his back to stretch, he felt something heavy in his hand. Bringing the object into his line of sight, he realized it was Astryd's necklace.

Sitting up, he looked at the pendant with a degree of confusion. He had given it back to her a while ago, how did he have it now? He must be dreaming again. Brushing aside the confusion he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, shivering when his bare feet touched the cold metal floor. Nope. He couldn't be dreaming. The floors were never cold in dreams.

The heel of his hand rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he stood, yawning loudly, still wondering where the pendant had come from. The door of his room slid open and he stepped out, looking up and down the hall for signs of life. When nothing stirred he wandered out into the corridor toward Astryd's room, curiosity getting the best of him.

His fingers hesitated only a moment before tapping the control panel outside her door. It slid open with a quiet whoosh, her sweet scent hitting him as the air escaped. The room was empty. All of her things were gone, save her laptop which stood open at the head of her neatly made bed. All of her clothes, her sweets, even her bath things were gone, as if they had never been there. The only other thing left was on top of her dresser.

Spike reached out and picked up the little stone bird she had bought that day in the market, also retrieving the note it was holding down. He turned the bird over and over in his palm, observing the swirls of white and clear blue that snaked through the stone. Birds of a feather. He slipped it into his sweatpants pocket and picked up the note. It simply said "Don't look for me." Spike stared at it for a long time, reading it over and over before clenching it in his fist and walking away.

Out in the common room, Jet was kicked back, drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette, his head tilted forward and his eyes closed. He listened quietly as Spike walked past him to the kitchen. The coffee pot clinked a few times and Spike came back, tossing the balled up note in Jet's lap.

"What's this?" He asked, opening his eyes and unfolding the paper.

"Astryd left." Spike said, plopping down on the couch. His voice was calm and monotone. She was gone now and he was still alive. She was out there somewhere and now he could rest without fear of losing more of himself. At least, that's what he was trying really hard to tell himself. However, the feeling that something was wrong was eating holes in his theory.

"We have to find her!" Jet jumped up, knocking over his empty coffee cup. He yelled toward the side stairs, "Ed, wake up! I need you to dig up everything you can on the Black Jackals…"

"She left Jet, she wasn't kidnapped. She doesn't want to be here so leave her alone." Spike interrupted Jet just as Edward poked her head up, rubbing her eyes lazily.

"What?" Jet stared at him in confusion. "The Bebop is her home. Why wouldn't she want to be here?" Jet faced him, arms crossed over his chest. If he didn't keep them there he just might strangle Spike for being so calm. Didn't he realize that something was wrong? Of course he did, he was just fooling himself.

When Spike didn't answer him right away, Jet got the point. He closed his eyes and tried his best to not yell. "What did you do to her Spike?"

"I didn't do anything but tell her the truth." Spike shot back, keeping his tone down.

"The truth? About what?"

"I told her I don't love her." Spike shrugged, leaning back and closing his eyes to avoid Jet's glare. He really didn't want to remember what had happened the other day. He just wanted to cut his losses and let her move on, like he had let Faye move on. It was better this way.

"Dammit Spike! I can't believe you sometimes. You're so damn selfish." Jet rubbed his fingers between his eyes.

"Is that a good enough reason for you to let it go? Leave her alone."

"You just don't get it do you Spike? Even if she was hurt enough by you being an ass, she wouldn't have left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. Maybe not to you, but she wouldn't leave without saying something to me." Jet jerked his thumb at his chest, unable to control the volume of his own voice. The silence that followed was only filled by the sound of Ed furiously typing away on her 'Tomato'.

"Jet person! Lookie lookie, Astryd person's bounty has gone bye bye." Ed pointed at the screen, her amber eyes wide with interest.

"Huh?" Jet peered over her shoulder. "The bounty has been revoked….Dammit Spike, she's gone back to the Black Jackals. Still think nothing's wrong?"

Spike had to admit he was getting nervous. Why would she go back? Leaving was one thing, she could have gone anywhere. But back to the Jackals? No. Spike hated when Jet was right and a lot of the time he ignored it. This he couldn't ignore. Something was terribly wrong and Spike knew it. He sat forward on the couch, his stomach in knots. What the hell did he do? He should have never told her he didn't love her. Shit. Now she was gone without a word. If he hadn't said anything to her, maybe she would have come to him for help instead of leaving in the middle of the night. He broke that trust, ruined the part of their relationship that made her comfortable coming to him.

"Also, "Ed continued. "There's a time stamp on a message routed through Bebop's main computer to Astryd person's personal computer. 8 am from Europa. 2 am our time."

"Shit, they must have threatened her. We have to go get her Spike. Looks like we have to put our plan into motion earlier than I thought. Ed, keep trying to dig up stuff on the private compound Kotori Jackal owns. I'm going to change course to Europa." Jet made his way quickly through the door as Spike watched the screen over Ed's shoulder, rubbing Astryd's necklace with his thumb. He had made a mistake. Now he hoped he wouldn't be too late fix it.

"A whole week?! What the hell Jet, I can't wait that long! You don't know what these people are like. You don't know what they'll do to her Jet." Spike yelled across the table at Jet.

"I can damn well guess what they'll do to her, but if you go in there now you'll never get out alive Spike. They won't kill her and you know it!" Jet yelled back. Spike had lost his cool. He was looking for a fight and since he couldn't find it he was putting dents in walls. He needed to either cool down, or kill someone. There was really only one option and Jet knew he wasn't making it any better. With a deep breath he lowered his voice, hoping it might calm Spike down a bit. "Look, I don't want to wait any more than you do. But this week is their annual training tournament. I'm sure Astryd told you about it. The whole place will be crawling with Jackal members. You have to wait til they leave and everything cools off. She's already escaped before, they might not take any chances in leaving her alone. Anywhere they go, what's where they're bound to take her. I'm not taking any chances on this one Spike."

"Dammit Jet." Spike walked over to the stairway, gripping the rail with all his strength. She would be in Europa in about ten hours and with her six hour head start they would never catch up to her in time. Even if he took the Swordfish solo he wouldn't make it there before the Jackals got to her.

All he could think about was what would happen to her. They could do any number of things. They could beat her again, whip her until she's nothing but a bloody pulp. Spike could hardly bear the thought. The scars on her back were what she considered going easy on her. If that was going easy, what the hell kind of torture was normal? She didn't just speak out against them this time, she had escaped. She had worked with bounty hunters and even caught a few Black Jackal members. That was treason to a syndicate. Three counts of treason in the Red Dragons was sure death. But they were civilized. A firing squad was sure to be your fate. But these people, they were ruthless.

Here he was, faced with number four. Death was taunting him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Part One

_Place I Called Home_

Astryd touched down a mile outside of the compound, using her cash card to rent a lot. She didn't want the Stingray to be confiscated by her father and if Jet decided to track her, he would know where she went. Hell, she even left a note on the seat saying that he and Spike could have it if they wanted. It was really more Spike's style craft, with its long sleek lines, but Jet's old Hammerhead was almost retirement age. He may need something knew. Besides, she wouldn't have any use for it soon. Even if she did join her father's war council, she would never be allowed to leave the compound again.

The sun was setting and a cold was moving in that matched how she felt inside. Shivering, she pulled Spike's blanket around her shoulders as she walked, taking in his scent. It gave her the courage to move forward. Her legs felt like they were made of lead and her heart pounded in her chest. Courage was never her strong point, but this was different. This had to be done.

Spike would be safe now. That thought pushed her forward. This was all for him. He may not care, and he may never know it, but she had to keep him safe at all costs.

The compound came into view and she had to swallow her fear. What would happen to her? She had seen people her father tortured, and been subject to it herself on occasion. Whipping was the most severe punishment she was likely to endure. But this was treason, not just petty outbursts. This was bound to be different from any other time. The unknown made her nervous.

The West gate stood before her now, tall and ominous, solid steel painted black. As she reached out to touch it, she pulled the blanket even closer, seeing Spike's face in her mind's eye. She missed him already. But things could never really be the same since he didn't care about her. Maybe this was all for the best. Nothing was ever coincidence.

A deep breath for strength and she pushed the door open, taking in the sights of the courtyard beyond. As she closed the gate, she heard footsteps behind her. Four of her father's men had come to intercept her. She had expected as much. She simply let them come, gripping the blanket tightly, losing herself in memories of Spike as the men grabbed her tightly, dragging her toward the training complex.

They threw her unceremoniously into the trunk of a car, surely to be taken to the main compound. Her father would be waiting there with the other elders and their guests for the training tournament. She wouldn't be competing this year. She would be more important than that this year. This year she would be on trial. An example for any that might want to break free of the Jackals. The darkness consumed her wholly, leaving her in cold fear with only her thoughts and Spike's blanket to comfort her.

Part Two

_Trial and Treason_

"Astryd Jackal. You are here to be tried on crimes against the Black Jackals. Do you understand?"

Astryd nodded, refusing to look up from her position on the floor where she knelt. The ropes that bound her wrists behind her back were too tight, scraping roughly into her skin, rubbing raw spots. About four dozen Jackals stood watching from long curved benches that lined two thirds of the large circular room. These were all clan leaders, trainers, and top trainees. All of them here to watch her trial. Such was her father's way of instilling fear in those he controlled.

The door was behind her, and before her was a structure much like a judge's bench. It stood eight feet from the floor, allowing her father a view of every person below. A large banner with the silhouette of a jackal hung from the top of the bench, it's heavy crimson fabric was sprinkled with the blood of her father's enemies, long turned brown. People that had been tried in this very spot.

Kotori Jackal flicked his finger with a nod, signaling the trial to begin. It was hardly what civilians would consider a trial. It was more a list of known offenses and his decision on how it would be handled. It was a weakness on his part if his daughter's punishment was not fitting of her crimes.

"You are accused of abandoning the syndicate, aiding bounty hunters, and in turn the police, as well as treason in the form of capturing members of the Black Jackals. Do you deny any of these charges?" The man read a from a list, rolling it up as he finished and staring at her with cold indifference.

"No." Her voice came as a whisper and it sent murmurs through the crowd. No one before had admitted to their crimes before this mock court. Even her father's brow raised in interest. Now all that was left was to determine her punishment.

All was silent as her father rubbed his temple with his fingers, watching her carefully and deciding what to do. He couldn't kill her, she was Jackal blood. But he couldn't let her be punished normally either. Her punishment had to go much further than that.

Astryd watched as Orion leaned in to their father, eying her as he whispered something in Kotori's ear. He leaned away and their father nodded as he thought, mulling over whatever Orion had just told him. Then he nodded in agreement and Orion leaned over the bench and gave a quiet order to one of their guards. As the man exited the room, Astryd got a sinking feeling in her chest. Something was wrong here.

"Ten lashes. One for each month you were gone as punishment for your escape. Seven days with minimal food and water, to remind you that you are nothing without the clan. Seven days in darkness as well, to think on your actions." Kotori snapped his fingers and the guard reentered, stepped forward with a video camera and tripod. Two more came to Astryd, unbinding her wrists and shackling them to the metal posts at her sides. This was typical. She knew what to expect at this point.

However, the video camera was highly unusual. The guard set it up facing her, then they cut the lights. A single spotlight overhead blinded her for a moment. Whatever they were doing, they were trying to keep themselves and their location hidden as much as possible.

Astryd looked around in confusion, trying to adjust to the darkness that lay outside of the bright light. The only thing she could see was the blinking red light on the camera. What were they doing? If they just wanted to play this through all of the compounds they wouldn't be broadcasting in darkness. Every Black Jackal member over the age of thirteen knew about this circular room. They had been told horror stories about that happened to people here, there was no reason to hide it.

"Orion, get me a direct link to the Bebop." Kotori's voice echoed from the darkness and Astryd's eyes grew wide. What the hell was going on here?

"Wait, what are you doing? What's going on?" Astryd struggled in vain against her restraints, the metal shackles refusing to give in. Several members around the court whispered in hushed tones, either confused themselves, or maybe just excited. Either way, Astryd wished they were gone.

"Orion tells me you teamed up with Spike Spiegel of the Red Dragon Syndicate. His records show that Spike has come to your aid on more than one occasion. That Jackal you shot in the market place, that night Natasha was captured, you should have killed them both. You're a foolish girl. You should have known that the first person they would contact would be me." Kotori shook his head, knowing she couldn't see him. He thought he had raised a smarter daughter. But then again, her foolishness had led him right to her, and he didn't even have to pay out the exceedingly large bounty for her return. "At first I thought it was suspicious that no one turned you in for your bounty in the first week. Two million woolongs is a good starting price for such easy prey. When the first White Tiger went down we hardly thought anything about it. Bounty hunters catch low levels all the time. It wasn't until Rin called here after you shot him that we understood why you hadn't been returned. How many millions of woolongs did you help those bounty hunters get anyway?" Kotori grinned a little, eyes narrowed.

"So I raised your bounty after the first few months. You didn't even look did you? I had you at ten million woolongs. That's when I suspected something was keeping them from turning you in, other than the money." He tapped his finger on the arm of his chair as he spoke. He was interested in her expressions. They were changing and he knew that she was realizing her mistakes. "It wasn't until Natasha called and told me all about Spike Spiegel and his attempts to protect you at the White Tiger's base that I realized that something else was on more of an….emotional level."

"I don't understand…" Astryd shook her head. This didn't make sense.

"If that bounty hunter is allowed to live, I can never trust that you won't leave again. He must be lured here. You're our perfect bait. Is that connection up yet?" The guard gave the thumbs up to Kotori and turned on the video camera.

"Wait, Orion, you said you would leave Spike out of this!"

"I said I would. I never said father would." Orion smirked, leaning back to watch the show.

"Father, it's not what you think! Leave Spike out of this, I won't leave again, ple.." Her sentence was cut short when a man in a black mask stepped forward and tied a black gag around her face. Her eyes pleaded out into the darkness as she continued to fight against her restraints. But what could she do now? Spike would be lured here. She was his comrade and she was in danger. Her whole plan had gone to shit in a matter of minutes.

"Attention members of the Bebop. Your attendance is requested immediately." Kotori spoke lo*udly, clearly, into a microphone on the bench. A one way screen lit up behind him and he swiveled around in his large leather chair to watch. This way, everyone in the room could watch the reactions on the other end, but not be seen themselves.

It only took a minute for a burly older man with thinning black hair to show his face on the screen, then a young person with flaming orange hair. Kotori's brow raised in interest. Was that a girl or a boy? He wasn't sure. The older man growled at the teen to leave the room and they begrudgingly left. Then the man returned to the screen, this time catching sight of Astryd gagged in the spotlight. His eyes grew wide, then narrowed with anger.

"Astryd? What the….who are you?" Jet yelled, knowing quite well who it was but at a loss for anything else to say.

"Spike Spiegel's attendance is required as well. Where is he?" Kotori bellowed, growing bored. All he wanted was to get this show on the road. Where was that blasted Spike Spiegel? Almost on cue, a tall, handsome young man pushed aside his dark haired comrade. Kotori could see that he was trying his best to keep his emotions in check, but it was easy to see the cloud that crossed his dual toned eyes when he saw Astryd, bound and shackled, furiously shaking her head.

"Astryd…" Spike whispered, " What's going on here?"

"You should have turned my daughter in for the bounty cowboy. You would have saved her a lot of trouble." Kotori snapped his fingers once more and Spike could see a large man with a black mask step into the light behind Astryd, unfurling a thick black whip. "One lash for each month she had with you. You deserve worse punishment. You are ex syndicate. You should have known better than to keep her for so long. Should have taken the bounty." Kotori shook his head, his voice laced with mock scolding. Some light chuckles echoed around the room. They were visibly entertained and it made Spike sick to his stomach.

"I didn't turn her in because I know how you people work." Spike snapped back, appalled that Astryd's own father could be so heartless to her. Jet had joined him again, the corners of his mouth turned down in a frown, eyes blazing with anger. But through his rage he didn't speak, he just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "Look, she's no good to you, let her go…take me instead." Spike leaned in closer, fists clenched as he watched the man with the whip, ready his stance, flicking his wrists to loosen up.

The whip cracked through the air, snapping harshly on Astryd's flesh. Her back arched in response to the pain, a muffled cry escaped the gag and she slumped back down, trying to ready herself for the next hit. Nine more, just nine more. Jet's eyes grew wide, his palms slamming down on the table, teeth gritted. "Stop this now!"

Astryd couldn't even hear him anymore. Her ears were ringing, pain rippled through her as the whip made contact the second time. A flash of pain the form of light lit the back of her closed eyelids and she saw Spike there. In her mind she saw him looking back at her the first time she saw him, outside of that bar. Then sitting on the couch, thinking about letting her stay.

At the third lash, Jet had sat back on the couch, his prosthetic hand hiding his face. Spike wanted to look away but couldn't. He watched as every lash tore the cloth and skin from her body and wished for the death of every Jackal. Not just Kotori, or Orion, or the Elders, but every man that sat in that room. Every man that he heard laughing over the speaker. Not one of them would help her and it made him sick. He shouldn't have expected much from the Jackals. Truth was, he and Astryd were simply different than other syndicate members.

With every crack of the whip Astryd saw Spike again. The day he was shot in the market place, the night he kissed her, the times he saved her from her nightmares. Number seven came and went, her body too weak to respond to the lashes. By number eight her vision was blurring and the knot on the gag had loosened, letting the material slip down around her chin. She forced her sight up to look at Spike, but she could only make out a vague shape. "Stay…away…trap…" The words were forced out of parched lips as the ninth lash tore into her flesh. One final cry and consciousness slipped away. She didn't even feel the tenth.

Spike did. Jet was standing now, his back to the screen. Spike watched, teeth gritted and brow furrowed as two masked guards unshackled Astryd, letting her fall to the floor before picking her up and carrying her off screen. The man with the whip stepped forward into the light and took a bow. The audience in house applauded, some cheered, then the screen went black.

The ceiling fan clicked quietly as it spun, breaking the eerie silence below. Jet was still, unmoving, not sure what to do at this point. Now it was a waiting game. Waiting for Spike to snap and try going off on his own, or waiting til the end of the week to launch an assault on the Jackals. Jet peeked around his fingers at his comrade.

Spike was shaking with anger, his hands gripping the sides on the table. "Now Spike, I know what you're thinkin'. You can't go in there. It's a trap, she said it herself." Jet spoke calmly, knowing that Spike wasn't likely to listen to reason. He couldn't let him leave. "You go in there now, and it'll be suicide. For once in your life you need to stick to the plan."

Spike didn't speak. He was too wound up to respond to Jet's lecture. Normally he would already be on his way to Europa, but he knew Jet was right. Fists clenched, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. Jet began to protest. "S-Spike! Where are you going?"

"Out for a drink." Spike grumbled back. He needed something strong after all that. Needed something to calm his nerves. And a stop by an old friend's wouldn't hurt either. It was time to load up on all the grenades and ammo he could buy. A week from now, he would make the Jackals taste Hell.

Part Three

_Hungry for Love_

After three days Astryd's hunger had taken over. Deep growls issued from her stomach every few hours, only satiated twice a day when she was brought a chunk of dry bread and a cup of water. Then once in what she assumed was the morning, to clean and dress her were keeping her alive, but her strength had dwindled significantly. For days she did little more than sleep, trying to relax and conserve her strength as much as possible.

The floor in her little cage was hard and cold, but miraculously she had been allowed to keep Spike's blanket. If the guards had known where it came from it would surely be burned by now. The scent was fading rapidly in this damp place, yet it was still a comfort and every day that passed she was more and more convinced that Spike wasn't coming for her. He hadn't fallen for their trap, and that was worth being in this cage for a week.

A door at the far end of the room opened, shedding a small amount of light into the darkness. Astryd blinked a few times as the guard came forward to bring her the second of her daily rations. Her cage was short, only tall enough to kneel in, but wide and deep enough to lay down. There were other cages in this place too. Two to her left, three to her right, and a mirrored six on the other side across the ten foot walkway through the center. Each steel cage was separated by a span of four feet, probably to keep rival prisoners from killing each other while awaiting trial.

The tray clattered on the floor, spilling a good bit of her precious water. Stupid guard, she thought, glaring at him from the folds of Spike's blanket. Before the door could close again she took one last look around, noticing that the far walls each held a door, and were slightly curved. This must be below the circular courtroom. She wasn't sure, since she had never been here before, but there was only one building on the main compound that was round.

The meal, if it could be called that, only lasted a few moments. Astryd lay back down, wrapping up tightly in the blanket, pulling in as much heat as possible. This punishment was meant to make her regret her time outside. Frankly she thought it was a little backward. Freedom, friendship, home….they were all outside these walls. Her time on the outside was longer by far than any other escapees in history. She had felt the sun on her skin, sipped coffee with friends, spent long hours talking freely, and most of all, had tasted love.

Even if Spike's actions were just pity, it didn't change how she felt about him. The desire to keep him safe, no matter the cost, was why she was here. Once, Jet had asked her if she loved Spike. At that time, she wasn't sure what love really was. She loved Jet, he was like a father to her. She loved Ed and Ein in their own ways too. How she felt for Spike was different from all of those things. Until now she could hardly make herself sort out her thoughts and emotions. Day to day she let it go, let whatever happen, happen. But now, with nothing better to do than sit around and think, she had no choice but to dwell on her feelings.

For three days she had thought about him, dreamt about him, and for three days she wished she could have a second chance. Just one more day. One more hour. One more minute to just say what she wanted to say to him before she returned. In those foggy moments before sleep took her, she vowed that never again would she waste time. From that day forward, she would live as it was her last, saying how she felt. That way, she would never again have regrets over unspoken words.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Part One

_I Will_

A sad mellow tune drifted through the smoky bar, the sound of the sax and piano played to Spike's soul as if they were mates. For a long while he listened and drank his whiskey, elbows leaning hard on the bar. A few patrons were scattered around, some were even passed out at their tables.

Spike didn't move as the door opened, paying little attention to the man that sat beside him at the bar. The bartender greeted him quietly, then poured him a shot without asking. He must be a regular here, Spike thought, shifting his eyes to look at the stranger. He was older, maybe in his late fifties, with salt and pepper hair and a clean shaven face. A black trench coat covered the man's tan suit, matching his shiny leather shoes.

The man took the shot, setting the glass down easily when he was finished. Spike twisted his glass around with his fingertips, watching the ice collapse into what remained of his whiskey. One quick gulp and he finished it off, rapping twice on the bar for another.

As the bar tender approached with more whiskey, the man sitting beside Spike spoke. "Charlie, give me what he's having. I'm Sam. What's your name son?" The man looked at Spike with a kind smile.

"Spike." He mumbled back, almost refusing to meet the old man's gaze.

"Whiskey and the blues. You young man, are afflicted by what ails every man at least once in his lifetime." He grinned and picked up his new glass, holding it out to Spike.

"Is that so…" Eyeing him slowly, Spike lifted his glass and clinked it with the old man's. "And what would that be?" Spike asked, only half interested in the man's answer.

"A woman." The man answered, taking a drink, then settling back onto his stool. "By that look on your face I'd say you lost a good one eh? We've all lost a good one haven't we Charlie? " The man asked, smiling good naturedly to the bar keep.

"That we have Sam, that we have." Charlie smiled back, his eyes glazing over to a distant memory as he nodded in agreement, his hands working mindlessly on cleaning a glass.

Spike arched a brow in interest. Was he really that obvious? Or maybe this geezer just knew what to look for. "Yeah, somethin' like that." He turned his attention back to his glass, watching the reflection of his hand shimmer in the amber liquid.

"Funny, you don't realize how much you need them until they leave. My wife, she packed up one day and left. Just like that. At first, I wanted to blame everyone else. But then I realized, it was my fault. For years she waited for me, and I just did whatever I wanted. I didn't put her first ya know? A good man puts his woman first." He sighed, forcing a grin. "If you don't mind me asking, did she leave, or did you?"

Normally this kind of talk would irritate Spike, but tonight, he needed it. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was the blues, or maybe just the whiskey talking. "Hm. The first…died. I guess you could say I left the second…and the third…" Spike wasn't really sure how to put that one. Simply, she left. But it wasn't as simple as all that. "She thought she was doing what was right."

"Three? Not much luck in love, huh, young man?" Sam looked at Spike, brows raised. "I guess the real question is, do you have any regrets?"

Spike looked up, a little stunned. Sam met his gaze with a kind understanding that came with great loss. Like a kindred soul, lighting the way through the darkness that had surrounded this past five days. All he could do was smooth over his expression and nod solemnly. He had regrets with them all.

"What about the first? What was she like?"

"Julia…" Her name came out like it always had, with a kind of reverence. The name of an untouchable angel that dared to love him. "She was beautiful. And dangerous. We were separated by circumstance. I chased after rumors of her for years. But when I found her again…I realized I was stuck in a delusion. That dream had faded. I didn't care about her like I once did. I have no regrets about Julia. Before she died, I let her think I still loved her. I thought it would help if she didn't die thinking she was alone."

"I would have done the same thing I think. Sometimes it's better to tell a lie, than to deliver a painful truth. What about the second?" Sam finished his whiskey, tapping the bar for more. He was genuinely interested Spike's story now.

"Her name was Faye. I never really had a relationship with her. Too much pride I guess. Besides, I met her while I was still searching for Julia. We hardly got a long for five minutes. But then I left. Stayed gone for a few years. Guess I hoped she would still be around when I got back. Should have known better. She said to me once that women don't always carry flames for men they haven't seen in years…I wanted to think that wasn't true. Guess it was. At least for her."

"The last one is the real reason you're here isn't she? The one that left right?" Sam leaned an elbow on the bar, poking at his ice with his finger. Charlie raised the whiskey bottle to see if Sam wanted more, but the older gentleman held his hand up and shook his head with a faint grin.

"Astryd. She's been around for almost a year. Things got…rough. She just left." Spike's eyes narrowed a little as he thought, becoming aware that one of his hands had slipped down into his breast pocket. The pendant was smooth and warm to the touch as he pulled it into view. It was so simple, yet intricate. Astryd was that way too. He didn't want to think about it.

Spike slipped the pendant back into his pocket, ignoring the raised eyebrows and curious glances from Sam and Charlie. He put the money on the bar and began to walk out, when Sam spoke behind him.

"Spike, humor an old man. Try to live your life today, without regrets for tomorrow."

That was the last time Sam and Spike would ever meet, and Spike thought he might humor the old man after all. No regrets from now on.

Part Two

_Kamikaze_

How many nights could terror run through a man's dreams before he gave up on sleep? Spike barely lasted a day. Since the night at the bar he had drank himself to sleep every night. And every night he woke himself in a cold sweat, Astryd's bloody lashes crossing the back of his darkened eyelids. But the day was coming. Tomorrow he would go in and save her, suicide mission or not. With such big plans, alcohol was on the bottom of his list. He wasn't about to screw thing up on account of a hangover.

No sleep for tonight. Instead he checked and double checked his bags, the Swordfish's operating systems, and running over blue prints with Jet. The lack of sleep was effecting Jet too. No matter how he might try to hide it, Spike had seen the darkening rings under his comrade's eyes and the terrible state of his bonsai trees. Jet and Astryd seemed to have this father daughter bond that Spike didn't quite understand. It wasn't really for him to understand though. He hardly understood his own feelings and couldn't be bothered trying to understand the thoughts and emotions of other people.

Spike would simply do what he knew. He counted the bullets, loaded the guns, and readied the grenades. This was what he knew. This was what he had always known. Metal and gunpowder and force. These things took no thought, no emotion. They were simple and soulless. But he wasn't much like them anymore. No longer soulless and the longer the thoughts of Astryd being whipped replayed in his head the more he realized that he never really lost his soul in the first place. His heart was a broken beaten bleeding thing and Astryd had accepted anyway, without question or second thought.

"Spike, pay attention." Jet barked, trying his best to stay patient with his younger counterpart. For someone with such an important mission ahead, Spike was flighty. Jet could hardly blame him though. What they had seen happen to Astryd was a strange and scarring thing. Never in his life had he seen anything like it and over the past week it had become obvious that Spike had never seen anything like it either. And so Jet calmed his voice, closing his eyes and trying to settle his nerves. It was their best bet right now. Too much stress could cause this whole plan to break. "This is where you'll be entering. It's right off of the South Gate and should be easily accessible." Jet pointed a thick finger at the blueprints that lay flattened on the table. Spike's eyes followed carefully, absorbing every detail of what Jet was telling him.

It was unlike him. Planning was never his strong suit, as he had stated before many times. He was more of a run and gun by nature, willing to just right in with no regard for his own life or the lives of others. This time was much different and he would do it Jet's way. He had to admit to himself now that he cared about it. Whether it was right or wrong, the emotion was there and that's what made this so much more important that most anything he had ever done.

"Ed checked the staff clock-in times, so you'll be going in right at sundown when the shifts are changing. It'll be less likely to get caught that way. This building here is the one that Ed traced the video back to. It's the only round building on the complex so it should be easy to find. I'm not sure if they'll be keeping here there but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have taken her back to the man house so quickly."

Before Jet could finish, Spike was standing, gently placing the last few grenades in the top pockets of his trench coat. He was ready now, no matter what. He was ready to go in, to live life with no regrets. To save Astryd and bring her home for good. No regrets old man, Spike thought, ignoring the protests of Jet, who wanted to run back over the plan for the sixth time. No regrets.

"Spike…"Jet's voice trailed a bit, but it stopped Spike in the doorway. He was ready for another lecture. "When you get in there, you can't let what happened to her cloud your judgment. Get in, get her, and get out. If you hesitate for a minute, or you try to get revenge, you're as good as dead. For once, think about what you're going to do before you do it." Jet got no answer. Spike simply

stepped forward into the hallway and disappeared, leaving Jet in silence.

Part Three

_No Regrets_

The darkness has a strange effect on the human brain. It can trick you into hearing and seeing things that never were. And sometimes it can bring up everything in your past and put it in repeat. Astryd was having that problem. In her half-starved delirium, she had energy for little more that lying awake and on occasion, sitting up against the bars of her cage. One thought kept her awake. A pressing truth that she hadn't noticed til now, when the darkness was whispering in her ear.

Had she ever been good enough? It wouldn't seem so. She was a disappointment to her father, and a thorn in her brother's side. Not to mention Spike. She wasn't even good enough for him. Why was being herself such a burden on herself? She was too weak to even cry and at the moment she was feeling too hollow to care. It was simply a thought that she was rolling around in her head like a ball. Shifting the thought this way and that, examining all of the surface bit by bit.

Time was slipping away slowly, and she no longer knew if it was daylight or dark. The guards brought her food whenever they felt like it and now that her wounds were healing the nurse rarely came either. It had to be getting close to the end of her sentence. Sometimes it felt she had been in here for weeks. The scent of Spike's blanket was fading and there were only a few places in it anymore that the smell still clung to. But her memories of him were not fading.

Astryd swore that sometimes she could hear him whispering to her from the darkness. That he was sitting just outside the bars of her cage, out of sight and that she was unable to touch him. She stopped reaching through the bars for him when she fell asleep like that and a guard stepped on her outstretched arm.

Now the darkness was slipping from thought into sleep and Astryd was tuck in a haze between this world and the world of dreams. Silent and still she lay, her eyes beginning to slide closed with every passing moment.

"Astryd." A familiar voice echoed from outside her cage. She hardly looked up to meet the voice, knowing she wouldn't be able to see the person anyway. But that voice….was she dreaming? That voice was so familiar. She knew it. "Astryd, I'm here, I'll get you out of there." This time she was sure. The voice was Spike. Quickly she sat up, a burst of energy from hearing his voice raced through her veins like lightning.

"Spike?" She called, reaching through the bars again. "Spike, I'm here, get me out."

Nothing. No answer came for her from the darkness. "Spike…." She questioned quietly, the darkness beyond gave no response. Had she been dreaming? No, please don't let this have been a dream. "Spike. Spike!" She screamed, beating her fists against the bars, throwing her shoulder into it in desperation. Her frenzied screams continued for some time until the echoing finally died out when she succumbed to exhaustion. Beyond the doors, her screams were unheard. The whole planet was deaf to her cries, but out in space, a heart felt her pain. Help was on the way.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Part One

_Truths from Lies_

The sun was setting in a magnificent show of purple and gold, and a few stars twinkled dimly in the cloudless sky. Spike inhaled deeply, letting the night air fill his lungs and knowing that his next breaths may be his last. But that was hardly the point right now and as many times as he had died in the past, the thought held little fear for him. The only fear he had, he was ignoring. The fear that if he failed, Astryd would forever live behind the walls that stood before him, tall and daunting.

The gate itself was too thick for the explosives he carried and even if he could blow it up it would make too much nose. He would be noticed in seconds and that wasn't what he wanted. No Jung-ho this time. He had to get in and get out without being noticed.

Edward had hacked into the security system, allowing her to control the movement of all the cameras. Spike could see them, turning slowly, back and forth on the pillars at either side of the gate. He would have to wait until they both turned away, then pull himself over the top of the gate.

The cameras began to point away from each other and Spike readied himself. As soon as they were both pointed away from each other, Spike bolted for the gate. He reached it in a matter of moments and flung himself up as high as he could jump. His hands barely gripped the top of the gate and the cameras were beginning to turn back toward him. His feet scrambled along the smooth surface while he pulled himself up and over.

As he dropped to the path on the other side, he slipped on the night vision goggles. The sun as finally down completely and the yard was empty of life. With a quick sweep to make sure he was alone, Spike darted toward the nearest building, taking cover behind the corner. He peeked around, spotting the circular building about 400 yards away to the north east. Nice job Jet, Spike thought, why the hell couldn't you get me in the East Gate? I woulda been right there next to the damn thing. Irritation creased his brow, his bottom lip jutting in a pout. He quickly regained his composure, face smooth now, void of all emotion. Yet under the night vision goggles, his eyes burned with the want for vengeance.

Silently he crossed between one building to the next, dodging the night guard that had now dispersed among the grounds. He finally found his hand laying on the curved wall of the circular building when Astryd was being held. Or, where he hoped she was being held. With one last glance around the compound he wondered what he would do if she wasn't being kept here. Which building would he try? There were so many. It would be like hunting a needle in a haystack. Not to mention the other compounds that the jackals had. What if they had sent her home, to the main compound? He would be in the wrong place all together.

Spike slipped through the door that Ed unlocked for him. He let it close slowly before pulling up the goggles. He found himself in a long curved hallway that followed the outside wall of the building. Now he drew his weapon and made his way through the hall, his boots making little noise as he jogged through the hall. A door to his left was the first door he came too and ducking around it for a moment, he took a peek at the map Edward had found for him. The door beside him was to the room Astryd had been tortured in. Spike fought the urge to crumple the map up in his hand, forcing back his anger. It would get him in trouble if he wasn't careful but frankly he was having a hard time controlling it.

With a deep breath he opened the door, walking into the darkness beyond. The light from windows near the top of the room cast eerie shadows around the room but Spike could still see some. The whole room echoed when he stepped and when he passed the posts that Astryd had been tied to, and saw the dried blood on the floor he couldn't help the images that burst into his mind like lightning. Once after the other, screams and the crack of a whip. This time the rage boiled, but his face still stayed void of emotion. Just let it boil under the skin and leave it alone, he thought.

On the other side of the room there was a door, labeled Sub Level 1 and Spike walked through, this time letting the door close heavily behind him. For all the rage built up inside him, he was almost praying for someone to find him so he could splatter their blood along the walls. But no one came. No one heard him.

This stairwell and the hall after were short and well lit. Once or twice Spike had quickly passed a door where a couple of guards were chatting and playing cards, or watching surveillance equipment. Sub Level 2 and deeper into the belly of the beast Spike descended. Quickly he made his way through the halls, until he came to another open door on his left. He peeked around the door and saw three guards sitting around a table, one facing the door.

Damn, he thought, I can't move through without him noticing me. Spike pressed his back to the wall outside the door, trying to figure out what to do now. He began to listen to the guards, in case they let on something he might need to get out of here.

"Great competition week this year. The trainees are promising. The Black Jackals are getting better and stronger by the year." One man spoke, proud of his syndicate.

"And what a way to start it eh? Punishing that whelp for treason. I couldn't think of a better way to kick things off." The second stated in excitement, the other two joining him in his laughter. Spike gritted his teeth. He was starting to lose it.

"What was it like whipping her Dom?" The first man joked to the third man, Spike's eyes grew wide. The man who had tortured Astryd was sitting in this very room. Just a few feet away. His brow furrowed in anger, his teeth ground tight against each other as the third man spoke.

"Heh, it was empowering." He said with a wicked smirk. "Having that kind of power and control over the leader's daughter. Feels that way every time I whip her. It's more fulfilling than punishing anyone else. Besides, her skin splits under the whip like butter to a knife." He chuckled, the other joining him.

The man's blood splattered along the wall before Spike even knew he pulled the trigger. Within moments the other two men lay dead around the table as well and the building screamed with sirens. Red lights blazed off and on and Spike realized he had just jeopardized the entire mission. Without thought, he raced for the end of the hallway, labeled Sub Section 3. He slammed hard into the door but it didn't budge. "Dammit!" He growled at the security locked door and in mere seconds the sound of many boots echoed through the hall. The guards were swarming from everywhere and coming straight for him. He dropped low and pulled a grenade from his sack, then he pulled the pin and threw it as hard as he could down the hall, watching it bounce off the wall and heard it clatter around the curve beyond his sight. The explosion rippled heat down the hall toward Spike and the screams beyond told him that the grenade had taken out some of the men and wounded many more. But still the men came, stepping over their dead and dying comrades, tracking the blood down the hall.

As they rounded the bend, Spike opened fire, killing a few before his gun was out of bullets. He had another clip, but there were too many of them, descending on him like a torrent. Before he could stand and load the next clip one of the guards knocked him back down with the butt of his rifle. Spike slumped over to the wall, feeling the blood trickled down into his eye. He did a leg sweep and one guard was forced to the ground. Two guards jumped on Spike, one punching with all of his strength, the other grappling to subdue Spike. He fought hard, taking out a few more guards before he was finally subdued and cuffed.

After it was all over, the guards huffed, sweat dripping from their faces. One kicked Spike in the ribs as he struggled to catch his breath. In a string of curses they lifted Spike up and unlocked the door to Sub Level 3. They were taking him exactly where he wanted to go.

Down the stairs and through two more doors, Spike was tossed into a small white room with a single table. Two of the guards patted Spike down, taking away his Com link, his guns, and multiple other weapons before leading him through a door into a room dark as a cave. Once the door was shut he was dragged by two men with night vision goggles into absolute darkness. He couldn't even fight back in this darkness, his eyes wide, trying in vain to make his eyes adjust. There wasn't a shred of light in this place.

He was pushed to his knees and then forced through a door which was locked behind him. A guard reached in and harshly grabbed Spike's wrists, yanking them through the bars to remove his cuffs. A cage? Spike waited until he could hear the guards walk away, following the sound of their footsteps back the way they came. When the door opened and the room glowed with faint light, he noticed he was in a little cage, and in the cage next to him was a small mass in the form of a human covered in a blanket. The door closed and he was in darkness once more.

Spike looked in the direction that he saw the human form. It couldn't be Astryd could it? Only one way to find out. He scoot closer to the bars of the cage, feeling the cold metal against his cheek. His slender arm reached through the bars, but the cage was too far away. Maybe it he could get her to reach to him, they could close the distance.

"Astryd?" He spoke quietly, his voice questioning. "Astryd, is that you?"

There was silence for some time, then he could hear the blanket shift. He spoke her name again, his heart pounding as he waited for an answer.

"Spike?" A weak voice whispered from the darkness beside him. "Is that….no…." He could hear the movement stop. "No Astryd….you're just dreaming again….just dreaming."

"This isn't a dream Astryd, reach out. Reach out and I'll show you it's not a dream." His voice remained calm. He stretched his arm out again, but nothing happened. He rapped his knuckles on the bard to show her where he was. "Astryd, over here."

"This is…the last time I'm, listening to the darkness. If Spike isn't really out there…I'll never reach out again." She promised herself.

Spike's lips parted slightly. She had been hallucinating that he was there? Just outside the bars that confined her? How many times had this happened? And more importantly, why was she hallucinating? He almost smiled when he heard her move closer and stick her arm through the bars of her cage. The smile quickly faded when he took her hand. Instead of being met by the warm soft flesh that he was so used to, he felt icy cold skin over bone. She was being starved. He understood that now why she was hallucinating and the deaths of those men upstairs seemed justified. If only there had been more.

"Spike? It is you. You came for me? But…why?" Her voice was hardly a whisper. She could hardly grip his hand. Spike wished he could rip through these bars and get to her. Release her and get her out of here. But instead he failed. He let his emotions get the best of him and got himself caught. He could have had them both safely out of here by now if only he had kept his trigger finger under control.

"Because…." I care about you. His mouth closed. He simply couldn't say it. "Because you were in trouble. You're a comrade in trouble, I couldn't just leave you here." He tried to force a smile, though he knew she couldn't see it.

"Oh." She sounded disappointed and his heart ripped open all over again. His forehead came to rest on the bars and he sighed. Why couldn't he just be honest with her? Because, he thought, it's survival. Her star will fall. The words rang clear in his head and he knew that her death would have a great effect on him. The need to keep his heart intact and the promise to live every day without regret were fighting in his mind. What if this were the last time he could tell her that he loved her? No. This was the worst place to tell someone something like that. He would figure out a way to save them both and then he would tell her. When they were out of this place. She deserved to know, damn his heart. Regret played far more heavily on a drunken mind and if she were to die before he could tell her, he wouldn't be able to drown his sorrows in whiskey and the blues. It would only make his regret that much worse. There will be another chance to tell her right?

"I'm going to get us out of here Astryd." His promise fell on deaf ears, her hand had become limp in his and he could hear her breathing become shallow. Even though she slept, he held her hand, running his fingers over her skin and wishing he could offer her some warmth. "I think I love you." His deep voice came out a quietly. Even if she way awake she wouldn't be able to hear him. Good practice, he thought to himself before he settled in for a long night of thinking.

Part Two

_Mouth of the Unknown_

Spike hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep until he was being pulled from his cage. Arms punching out at whatever he could, he struggled against his captors. His hand had been pulled from Astryd's and his eyes scanned the darkness frantically, trying to find her again.

"Spike!" she called and he could feel her grip his shirt as he was finally yanked through the door. A guard cursed at her and pulled her away as another shackled Spikes hands behind his back. "Where are you taking us?" Astryd demanded, her voice still weak but carrying plenty of angry authority. These men were still below her, even if she was being punished for treason.

"To the council room." A gruff voice answered and a thick hand pushed Spike forward. If they were going where he though they were going, he was in deep shit. The circular room upstairs that he passed on the way in was the last place on this compound he wanted to be.

In moments they were led out into the small white room that joined the dungeon-like Sub Level 3. The light was blinding to both of them and with seven days in the darkness, Astryd couldn't even open her eyes. Spike got a good look at her face, pale and a little more slender than when he last saw her. Dark circles had formed under her eyes, her rosy lips pale and slightly cracked from lack of water. With her eyes still closed the guards led them but up through the halls, one whipped clean of the blood that covered it just the night before but the scorch marks and rips in the metal showed the deadly force of Spike's grenade.

Astryd's eyes were barely opened but the sight of the hallway was enough to tell her why they were going to the council chamber. The syndicate hadn't caught Spike outside of the compound, he was on the inside and by the looks of it, he had probably killed quite a few people. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest now, making her very dizzy. Spike may be sentenced to death. Her plan had backfired in a big way. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't come back. Here they were, being led up to their fates. Spike was in danger, the one thing she tried to keep from happening. Orion and her father had done a good job in luring him here. Astryd was sure they would be quite pleased with themselves.

She wanted to turn around and look him, but she knew the guards wouldn't allow that. Instead she gripped the blanket tightly around herself as they walked. Soon they were walking through the door to the council chamber. The guard who was accompanying Astryd stopped with her by the door. The two that held Spike led him to the posts in the center of the room.

Unlike in her trial, all of the seats were empty except those belonging to her father, brother, and one other elder. Astryd was surprised that they didn't have an audience but if Spike had injured too many people they would all be needed elsewhere. He must have done quite a bit of damage to only be having three people attend his trial. That was why they were here right?

"Father, don't do this, please. Let him go!" Astryd pleaded with her father as the guards forced him to the ground. The removed his jacket as they shackled his wrists to the posts. The rage burned in his eyes, like a wild animal.

"Quiet yourself Astryd." Her father snapped from his perch above them.

The early morning sun flooded through the unlit chamber in yellow colored streaks, shining light right over Spike. One of the guards pulled out that old familiar whip and Astryd let the blanket drop as she took a tentative step forward.

"Father, why are you doing this? He has nothing to do with this. I promise, I'll never leave the compound again, just let him go!"

"Dammit Astryd, don't make me punish you again." Kotori snarled at her as the guard unfurled the whip, letting the end fall to the ground. Spike was ready, he set his gaze on Kotori, ready to focus all of the pain on the anger in his heart. He would use it. Turn it into hatred for the leader of this evil syndicate.

Before Spike could even think, the whip cracked, splitting the flesh of his back. He could feel the blood trickle down his back under his shirt but he didn't scream out. He gritted his teeth and waited. Astryd's cries seemed far off as the second lash tore at him. By the sixth the pain was too much and he cried out when it hit him, crossing over some of the other marks. A gunshot echoed off of the walls then the whipping stopped.

Dual toned eyes gazed up to find Astryd's back to him, a gun to her head. How she managed to get away from the guard and kill his assailant he wasn't sure. But now she stood before him, thin and frail, holding the gun to her temple. The look of shock on her father's face would have been more pleasing to Spike if he wasn't concerned with the present situation.

"Let him go father. Or I'll do it. I swear I will." Her hands were shaking, but if this is what it took to save Spike, she would do it. Kotori was not emotionally attached to his children but he did care about his image. One of his children killing themselves would spark something the syndicate that Kotori simply didn't want to deal with. It would give strength and hope to all those who wanted out but were too afraid to go against him. When he was taking too long to think about it, Astryd cocked the pistol, making Spike lunge forward a little. Too many people had died in front of him, comrades in the syndicate, bounty heads, enemies, Julia. But none of them had died to save him. None of them had even tried. He wouldn't let Astryd die here like this. Not today, and not for him.

"Wait." Kotori held up a hand to stop everything. Orion's eyes blazed into Astryd's flesh when he realized that their father might spare Spike. He wasn't happy, but he wouldn't dare speak out against his father. "Why should I release him? He came for you once. Why wouldn't he come for you again? He killed 15 men Astryd and wounded a dozen more. Those were my men. If he killed that many to save you, why should I release him if he's just going to come back and do it all over again?"

"He only came for me because I was a comrade in trouble. He…he won't come for me again." He turned her head to look down on Spike with pleading eyes. "I'm not in danger here. He won't come for me again." Spike didn't speak, but his lips parted and his brow creased in worry. She ignored his look and faced her father once more. "I won't ever run away again father. Please, just let him go."

Kotori sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin in thought. Astryd could almost hear her blood pumping. Her strength was waning but she tried to keep herself standing. To keep the gun poised at her temple. It seemed an eternity until he spoke again.

"Fine. I promise to return him to his reached ship….for your promise to never run away again. You will stay here and join my war council. With you leading the counsel. We will take down the other syndicated one by one. Finally my daughter will be worth something." He smiled a little to himself and for a moment Astryd swore she could see pride in his eyes. But she didn't want his pride or approval. She had what she wanted now, the promise of Spike's safe return to Jet. "Get him out of here and return my daughter Sub Level 3. I think she needs a little more time to cool her heels. Oh, and get that body cleaned up." Kotori waved a hand dismissively as he rose and exited the room, the elder and Orion closely following.

After he left, Astryd' strength gave out. The gun clattered to the floor just a moment before she dropped to her hands and knees. Spike struggled against his captors, his boots sliding on the bloodied floor as he pulled against the guards that carried him farther and farther away from Astryd. He wanted to yell out for her, to tell her that he would come back for her, that he loved and wouldn't let her rot here. But he kept his words inside. Anything out of the way could spell disaster for her and he had already failed to save her once. The last image he got of her as he rounded the corner, was her body falling limp onto the floor and a guard coming to take her back to those damn cages.

Spike swore to himself then that this would not be the end of it. When he was through with them, the Black Jackals would be a legend buried in a pile of rubble.

Part Three

_Patience is a Virtue Great_

Jet met the Swordfish in the loading bay with great anticipation. Spike had been gone too long and whether or not the mission was pass or fail was yet to be determined. Spike's com link had gone down and Jet almost went in after him. But he had faith in Spike. He always seemed to get himself in and out of trouble in mysterious ways. He wanted to make himself believe that Spike had come back with Astryd, but something deep down was eating at him as the hanger door closed.

The hatch to the Swordfish opened, but nothing happened. Jet's teeth clenched hard, his feet carrying him right up to the wing of the mono racer. Has Astryd been injured again? "Spike. What's up?" He called out, resting his hands on the wing. Dark eyes widened and jaw went slack when a bloodied hand gripped the side of the cockpit and a moment later a badly wounded Spike pulled himself painfully to the wing.

His hand slipped in his own blood and sent him crashing to the ground. Jet knelt beside his fallen

comrade, viewing his various wounds. His yellow shirt was torn to shreds and blood soaked the material,

his back looked terrible. A mass of bruises and smaller cuts told him that Spike had at least tried to fight

off his attackers. Maybe the fact that he was here meant that he had escaped on his own. It never

crossed Jet's mind that Astryd might have made a deal with her father for Spike's freedom.

"Spike, what the hell happened?" Jet carefully put Spike's arm over his shoulder and stood, leading his friend into the ship. "Ed! Get the medical kit!" Jet barked at the girl as she stopped and stared at Spike's wounds. She quickly snapped to attention, slapping her hand to her forehead in a salute before running off with her arms outstretched like an airplane. Jet would have said more to her about goofing off but at least she was fulfilling his request in a timely manner.

Spike slowly took off his shirt with a little help from Jet. He could almost feel the old cop's unspoken words. He could feel them in the air, many unspoken things. Jet was trying to be patient, but that would soon wear thin if Spike didn't speak first.

"She…."Spike shook his head a little, trying to figure out where to start. Ed returned with the medical supplies and even some wet towels. Jet was impressed that she had thought ahead a little bit but didn't say anything. He just took a towel and helped Spike clean up. The younger man's back would need serious medical attention but the blood was first to wash away. Jet gave Spike plenty of time to think, but his own mind raced with everything bad that could have happened. Surely she didn't die did she? Spike wouldn't have come back for a while longer if she had. But then again, he was wounded and needed help in a bad way. Jet's brow furrowed in thought, the corners of his mouth turned down as he began to dress Spike's wounds, applying generous amounts of CryoSkin and a healing balm, careful to lineup the shredded skin before bandaging.

"I found the man that wiped her." Spike spoke calmly after some time. He wasn't willing to go out and say that he had failed the mission. That would be too hard on his pride. Jet would figure it out on his own.

"So you got yourself caught. Did you find her?" Jet tried not to yell at Spike, but the irritation in his voice was easily heard. He never was very good at controlling that aspect of his personality. His voice gave him away the Spike's eyes gave Spike away. Fatal flaws.

"They had her in a cage. Starving her." Spike's voice was monotone, his eyes closed now, a broken cigarette hanging from his lips. A bruise on his cheek was beginning to darken to a deeper shade of purple as Jet watched. "I have to go back in and get her."

"Dammit Spike, you hot head! You should have stuck to the plan. Then you wouldn't be all beat up and she wouldn't still be on that compound!" Jet couldn't hold his anger any longer. He lashed out at his friend, but Spike didn't even wince. He was far too used to it and even if he wasn't, Spike wasn't the kind of person to take a scolding and be hurt by it. He couldn't deny however, that Jet was right. He let his anger get the best of him and he killed three men before thinking.

"How did you escape?" Jet huffed, plopping down on the chair, his hand rubbing his head like he had a headache. Spike slowly leaned back, but upon feeling the pain, decided to lay down on his side.

"She made a deal with Kotori. Promised she would never leave the compound again if he let me go." Spike lit his cigarette, taking a deep draw and holding it in his lungs. On the outside he treated it very casually, like it didn't mean anything. But he would never tell Jet what he thought at that moment. How he felt.

"And they just let you go? Just like that?" Jet leaned forward, elbow on his knee and eyebrow raised in suspicion. He had done plenty of research on these guys and they weren't the type to just let a "valuable" prisoner go.

"She….had a gun to her head. Threatened to kill herself if they didn't." Spike closed his eyes and too another draw from his cig. He needed something stronger. Much stronger. He heard Jet lean back in the chair again, obviously too stunned to say anything else. But when the shock went away, Spike didn't like what he had to say.

"You can't care about a girl like that? Heh." Jet shook his head, remembering how Spike had told her he didn't care about her. And yet he had given so much to a woman that wasn't even around, and to another woman that he fought with all the time. "Can't even care about a girl that's willing to give up her own life to keep you safe. You sure are a piece of work Spike." Jet growled, standing to leave. He couldn't handle being in the same room with Spike right now. He made him too angry.

After Jet left, Spike put out the cigarette and dropped it onto the floor. Jet was right, in a way. Julia wasn't around for years. Not once did she try to make contact with him. And Faye. As much as he still cared about her, she was only there when he needed her if it benefitted her. There were a few times when she broke that trend, but they were rare. She never would have done anything like what Astryd had done for him. Would she?

Spike exhaled deeply, feeling exhausted, but he knew he couldn't sleep. Not right now. Now he had to think. He had to plan a way to save her. All he could see when he closed his eyes was her standing before him, hands shaking, then falling to the floor as he was being dragged away. Again and again it played in his mind until sleep took over. Darkness took him by the hand and led him into a dark world of dreams.


End file.
